


Change of Perspective

by Jellybean96



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Celebrity AU, F/M, Friendship, Slow Burn, farm au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-06-06 12:25:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15194747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellybean96/pseuds/Jellybean96
Summary: Skye's an actress, Grant owns on a farm. Skye's a handful, Grant won't have any of her bs.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new story for you all. I've been working on this one for quite a while, and now I've finished it up after a lot of reworking some of the chapters to include a new element that I think will really add to it. I'm really excited for you all to read this story.
> 
> Enjoy!

" _...just the latest in a long string of incidents involving the former child actress and her, on-again-off-again, boyfriend, fellow Hollywood star, Miles Lydon. It's unclear at the moment as to what's going to happen in regards to their actions, but many are wondering if this will be yet_ another  _incident that's just swept under the rug without any further consequences for either of the stars. Neither Skye's or Miles' agents, not even the stars themselves, were available for comment on the current situation. But hopefully, something will be done soon to—"_

Phil shuts off the TV and tosses the remote onto the couch cushion beside him, letting out a frustrated groan as he closes his eyes and runs a hand down over his face. He can't believe it's gotten this far. How did he let it get this far? Where did he go wrong over the past few years?

"They're not the only ones who are talking about it."

Phil opens his eyes and turns his head to see his wife leaning against the doorway to his office, her arms casually folded over her chest as she watches him.

"I figured as much. Who else?"

"TMZ's doing a pretty interesting take on the whole situation."

Phil sighs. "What are we going to do with her, Mel? How did our precious little girl end up like this?"

Melinda pushes off the doorframe and moves toward her husband. She sits down on the edge of his desk. "I think it happened sometime between the end of her multiple appearances on various shows as well as her own four-year Disney show, plus its movie, and us continuously turning a blind eye to everything she did to act up in hopes that she'd eventually shape up as she got older because we were too busy in our own jobs to really do anything."

"Well we've obviously turned a blind eye one too many times if she's ending up all over the media, and not for the right reasons. I just don't know what to do with her anymore, Mel. We're running out of options here. Nothing's working."

"Have you tried calling Nick?" his wife suggests.

"I know he's her godfather, but what's he going to be able to do for her that we haven't already tried?" Phil asks.

"Doesn't he know someone who owns a large piece of land? Might be good for her to go there for a while."

Phil thinks for a moment. "You know what, I think he did mention something to me not too long ago about someone he knows who owns a farm. Maybe I'll call him and see if his friend could use some help. Do you really think we should send Skye there?"

"Well, what else can we do? It's like you said, nothing else is working. We need to get her away from all of this and see if that helps any."

"Maybe we can find a way to have that Miles kid shipped off to another country while we're at it, like Japan or something. I'm telling you, he's the reason for all of this. Before she met him, Skye never acted like this."

"It won't do any good," Melinda tells him honestly. "She'd just figure out where he is and take the jet there."

Phil sighs. "I know, you're right. So Nick, then?"

Melinda nods. "Nick."

* * *

Pushing open the door to the bedroom, Phil stands in the doorway and sighs. He hangs his head for a moment, mentally chastising himself for letting things get as far as they have. He should have done something sooner.

Lifting his head, he steps inside the room and crosses over to the bed, standing beside it for just a moment.

With another sigh, he reaches down and pulls back the heavy covers, revealing the sleeping form of his grown daughter.

She's sprawled out on her stomach spread eagle style, her dark brown hair fanning out over the pillow and covering her face, one arm and leg hanging down off the edge of her bed.

"Skye," he speaks up.

The twenty-four-year-old groans from her spot, her face buried deep in her pillow, and shifts on the bed.

"Skye," he says again, stricter and a bit louder.

"What?" Skye whines, trying to curl further under the covers that are no longer covering her body.

"You need to get up," he tells her.

"Why? I'm tired and I don't have to work today. Let me sleep."

"No. We need to talk."

She turns her head just enough to look up at him through her hair. "About what?"

"Your latest incident."

Skye sighs and flips over onto her back, shaking her hair out of her face and then wincing at the pain in her head. "It's honestly not what you think, dad."

"You were being reckless, Skye," he states.

"We were being spontaneous," she counters. "You and mom should really try it some time. It'll do wonders for your soul."

"The two of you could have caused some serious damage to that property."

"But we didn't."

"And someone could have gotten seriously injured."

"But no one did." Skye reluctantly pulls herself up into a seated position. "Seriously, dad, you really need to relax about all of this. We just wanted to go out and blow off some steam, have a little fun on a Friday night."

"Yes, well, do you know what your little 'night of fun' cost you?" he asks.

"Not having to hear this lecture?" she responds.

He shakes his head. "No. It cost you the lead role in a very big movie that's currently in the works that would have been a huge stepping stone for your career."

Skye's eyes go wide. "Wait, seriously? They actually want me for that movie? This is so awesome!" She smiles. "I told Miles that they would want me for it. He so owes me a hundred bucks."

"They  _did,_ " Phil corrects her. "They  _wanted_ you. As in past tense."

Skye furrows her brows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they were willing to look past all of your previous...predicaments because of all the roles you've had over the years and how talented you are and how big of a following you have from your early years on Disney. However, after word got around about what happened over the weekend, they called and told your mother and I that they no longer want you for the role."

Skye scoffs. "Because of some stupid little incident? Are they serious?"

"It's more than that, Skye. You're completely reckless and irresponsible. You aren't held accountable for your actions, part of which is my and your mother's fault. You're constantly causing trouble and picking fights, unnecessary fights I might add. Your mother and I are always having to bail you out of everything, despite everything in my gut telling me not to. This has gotten way out of hand. But it all stops right now."

"Wait. What are you saying?"

He lets out a heavy breath and remains standing where he is, watching his daughter.

"Well, are you going to tell me or make me guess?"

"Your mother and I have decided that it'd be best if you were to...get away for awhile. To remove yourself from the media's prying eye and detox, in a certain sense. I made a few phone calls and a friend of Nick's has agreed to let you stay at their place during this whole ordeal. Once it's been decided that you've made enough progress and have learned your lesson, and once things have settled down here a bit, then you can come back and try to salvage whatever might be left of your career."

"You guys are actually going to send me away? You can't just do that."

"We can and we are. This is what's best for you, Skye."

"Well, I'm sorry if I don't feel quite the same way."

"In time I hope that you will," Phil says. "We only want what's best for you, Skye." He makes his way toward the bedroom door, stopping to look over his shoulder at her. "I'll be by to pick you up tomorrow right after lunch, so I'd suggest you start saying your goodbyes and thinking about what you're going to take with you. Only pack what you absolutely need."

"You make it sound like I'm going to a damn convent."

"Oh, if only," Phil mutters as he makes his way out of the room, shutting the door tightly behind him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back with a new chapter for ya! Thanks for all the love on this story so far. I'm really excited to share this whole thing with you. :) This chapter starts getting into things and the story really begins.
> 
> Enjoy!

Jolting awake, Skye breathes in deeply as she shifts in her seat so she's more upright than she was before. She pulls her feet down off the dash of her dad's car as she shifts, squinting her eyes just a little as she looks out the window. They're on a dirt path now, off the main paved road they'd been on when she fell asleep. She doesn't even know where she is, just that she's no longer surrounded by the familiar hustle and bustle of LA that she's grown used to over the course of her life.

"What the hell even is this place?" she asks her dad as he pulls his car up in front of a modest-looking two-story house. "Are we in Amish country or something? Because I swear, dad, if you brought me to Amish country then we are going to have some serious problems right now."

Phil sighs. "No, Skye, it's not Amish country."

"Well then what is it?"

"A farm," he says bluntly, shifting the car into park and turning off the engine.

Skye whips her head to look at him, her eyes going wide. "A farm?! You brought me to a farm?! Why would you think this is even a remotely good idea?"

"It'll help teach you some responsibility," he tells her, opening his door and climbing out of the car.

"I'm responsible," she protests.

Phil leans in the open window of the car. "Not responsible enough." He stands up straight and makes his way up the remainder of the dirt path and then the stairs to the front door of the house.

Skye lets out a frustrated breath of air as she sits back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she waits for her dad to return.

Turning her head, she lets her eyes roam over the expansive property on the other side of the windshield. A wooden fence runs down across the field, probably turning somewhere out of her sight. There's a large, reddish-brown wooden building standing to one side of the house toward the edge of the field. Another smallish reddish-brown wooden building stands next to it with some space between them. At the opposite side of the field, there's another wooden building, standing alone. If she squints her eyes hard enough, she thinks she can see a few animals milling about in the grass.

A tapping on the window next to her makes her jump in her seat. She turns her head to see her dad and a tall, bald man standing outside the car.

"Skye," her dad says, "come on out now."

"I think I'd rather just stay in here and go back home with you, thanks."

"Out. Now."

Skye sighs, pushing open her door and climbing out, swinging her bag up onto her shoulder.

"Skye, I'd like for you to meet Kebo."

"This is your place?" she asks the bald man.

Kebo shakes his head. "No, it's my friend's place. I just help him out. Especially whenever he's not around. Like right now, for example."

"So how long until your friend gets back, then?"

"He should be back sometime later tonight. He went into town to get some things he needs and to meet up with a few people."

"And how long does it take to get into town?"

"Not that long. Only about an hour or so driving."

Skye's eyes go wide and her jaw drops. "An hour?"

"Or so," Kebo adds. "There's hardly ever any traffic around here, but sometimes it can take an hour and a half. Lot longer than that if you decided to walk."

Skye turns to her dad with wide eyes. "Please don't leave me here. I promise I'll clean up my act and do better if you take me home right now. I promise."

Phil sighs. "I wish I could believe you, Skye, I really do. But we've gone down this road way too many times. You're going to stay here for a while and help out around the farm."

"Am I at least getting paid for this?"

"No."

"What? You expect me to work on a farm and not get paid for it?"

"I expect you to do what needs to be done around here without complaining or causing any trouble for anyone you come in contact with. Hopefully, in a few months, your attitude will have greatly improved."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Phil sighs and looks at Kebo. "Good luck with her."

"Geez, dad. You make it sound like I'm a horrible person."

"Not a horrible person, just a bit of a handful. Here's your bag." He pushes her suitcase toward her for her to take.

Skye grabs the handle of the bag with a sigh and pulls it against her. "So what happens now?" she asks. "You're just gonna dump me here?"

"I'm not dumping you here, Skye. I'm leaving you with a friend of a friend in a place that'll hopefully give you some perspective."

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't blame yourself if I end up dying out here in the middle of nowhere. Oh, wait, actually, yes, please blame yourself."

Phil sighs once more and looks at Kebo. "Please thank your friend profusely for doing this."

Kebo nods. "I will."

"Good, thank you." He looks at his daughter. "Skye, I'll see you when I see you."

Skye doesn't say anything, just glares daggers at her father, her arms crossed over chest once again.

He sighs. "Alright, I guess that's my cue to leave, then." He turns around and makes his way back to his car, opening the door and climbing inside.

Skye watches as her dad drives away down the dirt path and then turns to face Kebo. She gives him a quick once-over. "So, what's your deal?"

Kebo shakes his head. "Sorry, no, that's not happening. We're not sharing our life stories. Especially you. I know all I need to know about you. Dear old dad finally got fed up with all your brushes with the police, from what I can tell."

Skye narrows her eyes at the man in front of her. "Are you going to show me where I'm staying, or am I sleeping in the barn with all the animals?"

"As much as it would please me to see that happen, no, you're not sleeping in the barn with the animals. You're inside." He turns and makes his way up the porch steps, not bothering to check if Skye is following behind him.

Skye sighs and grabs the handle of her suitcase again, turning to follow Kebo up into the house, struggling a bit on the staircase with the wheels of her bag.

"This way," Kebo says once they're both inside the house, continuing past a staircase toward the back of the house.

Skye follows him down, her eyes immediately drawn to all of the framed photos hanging on the wall of an attractive man with short black hair and deep brown eyes, from various points in his life. The ones she likes best are the more recent photos of him. She may be in a relationship, but she's not blind.

In many of the photos, there are other people surrounding him, a woman who has his same eyes, and three young kids; two boys and a girl. A couple of the photos she can tell are older and have an elderly woman next to the man.

"This is your room," Kebo tells Skye, getting her attention again, as he gestures to a closed door. "Bathroom is right around the corner and the kitchen is through that doorway. There's a study near the front where we came in with books and things in case you ever get bored."

"Oh, I'm not really much of a book person," Skye responds quickly.

"Your loss then. There are some really good ones in there."

"Guess I'll just have to take your word for it," she gives him a tight-lipped smile.

"Guess you will." Kebo takes a deep breath. "Alright. I'm going to head out, see you in the morning."

"Wait, you don't live here?"

Kebo shakes his head. "Nope. I actually have my own place in town. Like I mentioned earlier, I just help Grant out on the farm. He's the one who actually lives here and he should be back later tonight."

"Well, what am I supposed to do until he gets here?"

Kebo shrugs as he turns to walk away. "Read a book."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Skye pushes open the door to her temporary room. It's furnished with the most basic items; a single, small bed in the corner, a nightstand, a dresser, and a couple of shelves on the off-white walls; a window sitting directly across the room from where she's standing.

Feeling her heart starting to beat a little faster inside her chest, she closes her eyes tightly and breathes in and out slowly, doing her best to calm her heart. Normally she'd have a drink or two, just to take some of the edge off, but she doesn't think that's an option at the moment.

After a minute, she opens her eyes and glances around the space again, her heart still beating widely.

Stepping into the room, she rushes toward the window and quickly slides it up, leaning out of it as she breathes in and out slowly, her eyes closing and her nose turning up at the smell that wafts through the open window.

"Welcome to hell."

* * *

Pulling his truck up to the front of his house, Grant shifts the car into park, turns off the headlights, and shuts off the engine all in quick succession.

Letting out a sigh, he turns his head toward the chocolate German Shepherd sitting in the passenger seat next to him. "Well Max, it looks like Kebo forgot to turn the porch light on again when he left. Should we go fix his rookie mistake, put all of this stuff away, and then go to bed?"

Max lets out a bark and turns his head to the door.

Grant chuckles. "Alright, boy. Just hold on. Let me get everything out of the back and then I'll let you out."

Grant pulls the keys from the ignition and then climbs out of the truck, moving back toward the bed of the truck. He pulls the few bags out and hangs onto them, then goes around to the passenger side to let Max out.

As soon as the door is open, Max jumps out of the car and darts straight for the front door, waiting patiently on the steps.

Grant smiles at his dogs' eagerness as he makes his way up to the front of the house. He shifts the bags in his hands and unlocks the front door, pushing it open to allow Max inside the house.

He goes to flip on the light switch just inside the door but stops, noticing most of the lights in the house are already switched on.

He hears a low growl coming from Max an instant later. He looks over to see the Shepherd standing at full attention, his gaze fixed on the hallway in front of him.

Grant turns and places the bags down on the floor before turning back to the hallway.

"Max, stay there." He holds a hand out behind him toward the dog as he makes his way down the hall.

As he gets closer to the end of the hall, he hears water running. Walking closer, he realizes it's coming from the bathroom; the shower most likely.

Stepping up to the door, he leans casually against it and listens for a moment to the running water before knocking twice against the wood with his knuckles. Hearing no response, he knocks a bit louder.

"Ocupado!" a voice calls back.

He knocks again.

"Someone's in here."

Once more.

"I'm almost done! Geez!"

With a small smile on his face, he pushes off of the door and goes back out into the living room.

"It was nothing, Max," he tells the dog, allowing him to relax a little. "I think it was just Nick's friend's daughter, the one who's going be staying with us for a while. So you can relax, go lie down."

The dog waits for a moment before turning and making his way into the living room, climbing up into his chair and lying down.

Grant stands from his crouched position and moves about the house, putting away everything that he picked up in town earlier in the day. He's only slightly worried about having a virtual stranger staying with him for however long this arrangement is going to last. All he wants to do is live his life and work on the farm like he does every day. Having someone here who he assumes has never done farm work before is going to be a real challenge.

A loud thud, and then a mumbled curse pulls him from his head. He looks up in time to see a woman with dripping wet brunette hair hanging down her back making her way into the room, bending over with a hand on her ankle.

"Are you okay?" he asks cautiously.

"Yeah, I just always walk around like this," she says sarcastically. "No, I'm not okay, you idiot." She lifts her head to look at him and freezes for just a moment. Then she regains her composure and stands up a little straighter. "I think I may have broken my ankle. So obviously I need to call my dad and have him come pick me up and take me home. Probably forever."

Grant internally rolls his eyes. "Yeah, nice try. Come here." He moves closer to the couch and waits for her. He pats the arm of the couch. "Get over here and put your leg up."

She hesitates for a moment before moving toward him and lifting her leg up onto the arm of the couch, hopping slightly to regain her balance.

"So, what's your name?" he asks her as he leans over to examine her ankle.

She raises an eyebrow. "You're letting me stay here but you don't know my name?" She hisses when he pinches a sensitive spot.

Grant just shrugs.

She sighs. "My name is Skye. Skye Coulson."

"Like the actress?" he asks, the name ringing a bell in his head.

"One and the same. You a fan?"

He shrugs again. "Not particularly."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've seen a few episodes of that Disney show you were on, and I think I've seen one or two of your movies. But don't take it too personally on your huge movie star ego. I'm not much of a movie person, anyways. My niece and nephews on the other hand…"

"What about them?" she asks.

"Well, my niece loves you and my nephews are  _in love_ with you." He stands up straight again and lets out a breath. "Your ankle isn't broken."

"Are you sure?" she asks him, looking down at her ankle. "Because it definitely feels broken."

"Well it's not," he tells her. "I've seen a few broken bones over the years and that isn't one."

"Fine, whatever. So, I've told you my name, you going to tell me yours?"

"It's Grant," he replies, moving back into the kitchen. "Grant Ward."

"Well, Grant Ward, don't think that you'll be seeing very much of me while I'm here. Because I plan on locking myself away in my temporary room and using my laptop to stay up to date with everything that's happening online and to make sure that the media doesn't get things entirely wrong about why I'm away."

"No WiFi," he tells her simply, placing a few boxes of food in the cupboards, deciding not to tell her that there actually is WiFi but he's not going to give her the password for it. That's the last thing either of them need. "And you won't get that many bars here, either. Reception isn't the greatest. Maybe one or two, but even then it's still kind of spotty."

Skye's eyes go wide. "What? You seriously don't have WiFi here? You have a television in your living room but no WiFi?"

"No, I don't. And the TV is mainly for my niece and nephews when they visit. But even then, they don't get to use it all that often."

"Well, why not? Kids love TV."

"They watch enough of it when they're at home," he tells her. "Besides, they actually like going outside to help me with the animals when they come over."

She raises a brow. "Seriously? They actually like that kind of stuff. What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing is wrong with them," Grant defends his family, a frown on his face. "They're great kids."

"Kids who would rather clean up animal poop than watch TV."

"Keeping this farm together is a whole lot more than just cleaning up animal poop, Skye. It's about getting to know the animals, taking care of them, being someone that they can trust."

She blinks. "Wow. You actually sound certifiably insane right now."

Grant closes his eyes in frustration. He opens them again and looks at her, breathing in deeply. "I'm going to bed."

"Great, I think I will too."

"Good to know," he replies, moving past her toward the staircase. "Max, let's go." He nods his head up the stairs. The Shepherd climbs out of his chair and darts past Grant up the stairs. "Breakfast is at five-thirty," he tells Skye.

"Five-thirty?!" she exclaims. "Are you insane? You expect me to get up at 5:30 for breakfast while I'm on vacation?"

"Get up whenever you want for breakfast," he says. "But if you're up later than six it'll most likely be cold. After breakfast meet me out by the barn. This isn't a vacation for you, Rookie, we've got a busy day tomorrow."

"That's the big red building outside, right?"

Grant resists the urge to roll his eyes and lets out a slow breath. "Yes. The big red building outside. Goodnight."

"Night."

"Oh, and clean up the water your hair dripped on the floor. There are some dish towels in one of the kitchen drawers you can use."

Skye groans and stomps off into the kitchen.

Grant turns and makes his way up the staircase, meeting Max up at the top. He lets out a sigh as he glances back down the stairs. "Max, I have a feeling that the next few months ahead of us are going to be the longest of our entire lives."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Thanks for all the love so far.
> 
> Enjoy!

Groaning underneath the covers, Skye turns over and buries her face deeper in the pillow, trying to block out the loud and incessant pounding on the other side of the door. She just wants to sleep. Is it really too much to ask to just sleep longer? The only times she's ever gotten up this early was for work. And this is most definitely not the job she's used to or is going to like.

"Skye, get up, it's time for breakfast."

"Go away," she mumbles.

"Suit yourself, then."

She waits for the sound of footsteps moving away from the door before turning onto her back and pulling the covers down from her face.

She lies in the bed for a while, staring up at the bare ceiling, not exactly sure what she's waiting for. She tilts her head to the side to look out the window, finding that it's still relatively dark outside. She's never been a fan of getting up before the sun does, even though she's been doing it for years.

Letting out another groan, she brushes the hair back out of her face as she stands from the bed. She grabs her t-shirt off the floor and pulls it on over her sports bra and then slowly moves across the room to the door.

Pulling it open, she steps through and trudges her way across the hardwood floor and into the kitchen, letting out a yawn as she goes.

"Please tell me there's coffee," she grumbles as she steps into the kitchen.

"Good, you're up."

She glances over to the back door to see Grant sliding his shoes onto his feet, his dog waiting next to him, his tail wagging eagerly.

"Yes, I am. Now where's the damn coffee?"

"In the coffee pot," he responds, pointing at the machine in the corner on the counter.

"Oh thank goodness," she lets out a breath, quickly moving over to the hot beverage.

"Breakfast is on the table," Grant tells her. "Help yourself to whatever you like. Don't take too long, you need to come outside when you're done."

She waves him off. "Yeah, whatever." She focuses all of her attention on the coffee pot in front of her.

"Meet me by the barn when you're done," Grant tells her before he leaves the house with Max right behind him.

Turning toward the window above the counter, Skye leans forward with the cup of coffee cradled in her hands. She rests her elbows on the countertop and watches through the glass as Grant and Max make their way across the yard toward the large barn.

She watches for a few more minutes as they enter the barn before she turns to the table for breakfast. She sits down in one of the chairs, setting her cup in front of her.

She eyes the dishes of food set up; oatmeal, toast, some fruit, and a glass jug of orange juice.

Letting out a sigh, she grabs the dish of oatmeal and scoops some into the small bowl in front of her. Then she grabs a slice of buttered toast off the tray and sets it down on the table before pouring herself some juice and sliding the dish of fruit closer to her.

She leans back in her chair as she lazily eats her breakfast, not hating it but also not loving it at the same time. She's certainly had fancier breakfasts over her lifetime, thanks to all the traveling she's done for various projects she's been a part of.

As she eats, her eyes drift around the parts of the house that she can see. It's definitely been lived in while also having been fixed up a time or two over the years.

Hearing a door open and close, followed by footsteps, Skye's head turns to see Kebo making his way into the kitchen.

"Oh, it's you," she says dryly.

"Good morning to you too, sweetheart," he replies casually.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Don't call me sweetheart."

He ignores her, reaching forward to grab a couple slices of toast off the tray, as well as an apple. "You coming outside to help?"

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?"

"No, you really don't." He takes a large bite out of the apple. "See you out there," he says with his mouth still full of food.

"You're disgusting."

"Good for you, I don't care." He turns on his heel and makes his way out the back door.

Skye groans and leans her head forward on the table, resting her forehead on her arms.

"I just want to leave," she says to herself, feeling her chest tighten just a little and her eyes start to sting.

Sitting up straight she takes a deep breath and lets it out with a sigh, turning her attention back to her food, eating in a miserable and uncomfortable silence.

Once finished, she sets her dishes in the sink and then makes her way back down the hall to her room to get dressed for the day ahead.

She flips open the lid of her suitcase and peers inside, letting out a heavy sigh. "Do I seriously have nothing in here that I wouldn't care if it got dirty or gross?" she asks herself as she digs through the clothing she brought.

She spends a few minutes digging through the suitcase before pulling out a pair of jeans that she doesn't love quite as much as some of her others, a plain black short sleeved t-shirt, and her combat boots.

She quickly changes into the clothes before pulling her hair up into a tight bun on top of her head.

Looking at herself in the mirror she takes a moment to put on a light layer of makeup. "No point in doing heavy makeup if I'm not going anywhere and no one's going to see me," she says to herself.

Once done, she lets out a sigh as she looks at herself in the mirror. "Guess I should probably get out there, right?" She frowns. "I've been here less than a day and I'm already talking to myself like a lunatic. This is just great."

Turning away from the mirror, Skye makes her way out of the room and back down the hall toward the back door of the house. She pushes it open and steps out onto the porch, the cool morning breeze hitting her immediately.

She takes a moment to look at the large expanse of the land all around the house, taking in everything she can see in the early morning light.

Stepping down off the porch into the grass, she walks over to where Grant and Kebo are, watching her feet as she goes so as not to step in anything questionable.

"Okay, I'm out here. Now what do I do?" Skye asks the two men once she reaches them.

"Figured we'd start you off easy for your first chore today," Grant says to her.

"Really? And what's that?"

He smiles. "You're going to take Max for a walk."

Skye raises an eyebrow. "Take your dog for a walk? Seriously? That's what I'm gonna do?"

"Well, I mean, I can always find something else for you to—"

"No!" Skye exclaims quickly, cutting him off. She gives him a tight smile. "Walking your dog is fine."

"His name is Max," Grant tells her, reaching down to scratch behind the dog's ears. "Had him since he was just a puppy."

"That's sweet," she says with a blank face. "So where am I taking him? Does he have a leash?"

"Just around the property," Grant answers. "And no leash. He's pretty good about staying on the path. But if he starts to wander, just firmly call out his name. Not sure if he'll listen the first time around because he doesn't know you and he can be pretty stubborn sometimes, but by the second or third time he should listen to you just fine."

Skye nods. "Good to know, farm boy."

Grant furrows his brows. "Did you...did you just call me 'farm boy'?"

Skye shrugs. "You called me Rookie yesterday. Just returning the favor of assigning nicknames."

Grant sighs and shakes his head. "Anyways, usually I like to take him out after I finish eating breakfast. He gets a little antsy if you wait too long to take him out."

"Okay. And why are you telling me this?"

Grant smiles. "Because you're going to take him on his walk every day that you're here. I'm usually the one to do it, but I thought I'd let you have the honor while you're staying here."

"So you're telling me I actually have to get up at five-thirty not only to eat breakfast but also to walk your dog?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"Unbelievable."

Grant shrugs as he kneels down in front of Max and places both hands on the dog's head, making sure he's looking at him. "You be a good boy for Skye, alright? Don't go causing any unnecessary trouble for her."

"Are you really talking to your dog like he's a person?" Skye asks.

Grant nods as he stands up. "Yeah. Dogs are very intelligent creatures. They understand a lot more than people give them credit for."

She rolls her eyes. "Uh-huh. Whatever. Can we go now? Or do you want me to stay and watch you sing songs with the other animals next?"

Grant shakes his head. "Nah. Sing-a-long time isn't until after lunch."

Skye just stares at him silently. She then shifts her attention to the German Shepherd standing right against Grant's leg. "Come on, Max. Let's go." She takes a few steps toward the path and Max doesn't even budge. She sighs. "Max. Now."

The dog hesitates for a moment before slowly walking toward Skye.

Skye lets out a breath and a hint of a smile crosses her features. "Good boy," she says quietly to the dog as she begins walking down the pathway, Max trotting a few steps ahead of her as they go.

.

.

.

"We're back."

Grant looks up from his current task to see Skye and Max approaching him from the path, Max darting ahead of the brunette and straight toward him.

He bends down and rubs Max's head, smiling. "Hey, boy. Were you good for Skye?"

"He only wandered off the path a few times in the beginning," Skye tells him as she gets closer.

"He was probably testing you, to see what you'd do."

"Well, he's lucky he decided to behave when he did because I was getting so close to yelling at him."

Grant chuckles. "I'm glad you didn't have to yell at him." He takes a deep breath. "Now, your next chore, you're going to—"

"Go inside and take a nap because I'm exhausted already? I was thinking the exact same thing. Bye." She turns around and begins making her way back toward the house.

"What? No," Grant calls after her. "That's not what I was going to say."

"I can't hear you!" Skye shouts as she walks. She moves up the back porch and then pulls open the door and steps inside, letting the door fall closed behind her.

Grant sighs. "I should have known it wasn't going to be so easy to get her to actually do stuff around here." He looks at Kebo. "Remind me again why I agreed to let her stay here?"

"Because we can use the help," Kebo says. "And because you owe Nick and the girl's apparently on her last chance with her parents and the cops."

Grant nods. "Right. But why does she have to be such a pain in my neck?"

"Because she's Hollywood royalty," Kebo tells him. "Her parents are two of the top producers in the world, which means she had quite the in when she got her start at an early age and had lots of roles over the years. Everyone loves her, despite everything she's done. Like apparently, there was this one time when she and her boyfriend almost injured a bunch of people because they were doing something dumb and reckless. Though, I think that was pretty recent, which is what landed her out here on our lovely farm."

Grant looks at his friend with furrowed brows. "How do you know so much about her?"

Kebo shrugs. "Hannah's a big fan. She'd probably go nuts if she knew I'm so close to such a major celebrity."

"Are you gonna tell her at any point?"

"I might. Once superstar in there stops acting like the world revolves around her, I might tell Hannah that I know her."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I wouldn't want Mandy's kids around her while she's like this. I mean, I've told Mandy that she's staying here, but I made sure she wouldn't tell the kids. I want to wait until Skye's hopefully in a much better attitude before having the kids come by to meet her."

"Might be waiting a long time then, mate."

Grant sighs. "Yeah, you're probably right." He takes a deep breath. "Alright, enough talking and dwelling on things that probably won't happen. Let's get back to work."

Kebo gives him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

Grant just shakes his head and laughs at his friend, gesturing for Max to follow after him as he makes his way across the yard.

.

.

.

Lying on her back on the bed, Skye stares up at the ceiling, racking her brain for anything she can do to cure her boredom. There's no way she's going back outside to work. Not a chance in hell.

Sighing, she pulls out her cell phone and then frowns at the lack of service on it. Because life just wants to keep on sucking, apparently.

Dropping her phone next to her on the bed, she waits a moment before forcing herself to climb off the bed, grabbing her phone again and sliding it into her pocket.

Shuffling out of her room, she walks down the hall to the door containing the study that Kebo told her about the day before. Her parents always said she was a curious kid growing up, and apparently, she's a curious adult too.

Pushing the door open, she stays planted in the doorway as her eyes wander over the floor-to-ceiling shelves of books lining the walls, a large window with pale blue curtains hanging on it directly across from her.

Stepping into the room, she lets the door fall closed behind her and wanders over to one of the many shelves. Her eyes slowly go from title to title, her fingers running across the spines.

"Hmm." She turns and lets her eyes glance over the other bookshelves. "This is a whole hell of a lot of books." She pulls one book off the shelf with no name on the spine and flips through the pages. "Even a few blank ones, apparently."

Letting out a breath, she sets the book down and goes to make her way back to the door when the sight of a telephone sitting on the small table by the window catches her eye.

"Oh, thank goodness," she breathes out, walking quickly to the phone and pulling it off the dock.

Falling down into the large cushioned chair, sitting right on the edge, she dials one of the few numbers she actually knows by heart, and then holds the phone up to her ear, one knee bouncing up and down as she waits for the person on the other end to answer it.

" _Hello? Who is this?"_

She smiles at the familiar, friendly voice, leaning back into the chair as she lets her body relax. "Jemma, oh it's so good to hear your voice."

" _Skye? Is that you?"_

"Yeah, it's me."

" _Oh dear, are you alright? I heard about the incident that—"_

She shakes her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." She shifts in the chair. "I'm actually, uh, mom and dad sent me away."

" _They did what?"_

"They sent me to this farm out practically in the middle of nowhere."

" _Really?"_

"Yeah. I guess I'm supposed to help out or something but it's really gross here."

" _It's a farm, Skye."_

"Yeah, Jemma, I know that. Unfortunately."

" _I don't know why you're getting so upset about this. This will be good for you."_

"Now you sound like my dad."

" _Maybe he has a point."_

She frowns. "You're supposed to be on my side, Jemma. You're supposed to tell me how he's being unreasonable and ridiculous and that I don't need to be on a damn farm."

" _I'm sure you'll be fine, Skye."_

"You better hope I am. I'm just worried about all the gross stuff I'm going to have to do while I'm here."

" _And you'll get through it. You're a tough woman, Skye."_

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't want to be here anymore."

" _Do you want me to come and visit you sometime?"_

She sighs. "No. Mainly because I don't exactly know where I am since I was sleeping when dad drove me here. But also because you have a very important job to do and don't need to be worrying about me. I'll survive. I think."

" _Alright. If you're sure."_

"I am," she insists. "I'm getting so bored out here though. There's no WiFi, Jemma. And the cell signal is horrible, which is why I'm calling you from a phone that I found in one of the rooms here."

" _I thought you're supposed to be working."_

"I was. Kind of. I took the dog for a walk earlier but now I'm inside."

" _Skye…"_

"Lay off, Jemma, please. It's not like he can physically force me to do anything. I could have an army of lawyers on him in a second if he made me do something I didn't want to do."

" _Um...are you sure there'd even be a case if he—"_

"I'm telling you, he'd definitely think twice if I threatened a lawsuit. Everyone hates getting sued."

" _So then maybe you should think twice about threatening to sue him."_

She shrugs. "Eh. Where's the fun in that?"

Jemma sighs. " _Right. Well, I'm sorry, but I do have to go now, I've got an earlier shift than usual, but we'll talk again soon?"_

"Unless I die mysteriously out here."

" _I don't think that'll happen."_

"Anything can happen, Jemma."

" _So I've heard. I'll talk to you later?"_

"Yeah. Bye."

" _Bye."_

Pulling the phone down away from her ear, she sets it back in the cradle before standing from the chair and making her way out of the room. She grabs the blank notebook she found on her way out, hoping that no one will mind that she takes it.

Moving back down the hall toward her temporary living quarters, she steps inside, pushes the door closed behind her, and falls down face first onto the bed, groaning into her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!

Casually making her way through the freshly mowed grass, Skye watches from a few feet back as Max darts across the field as they get closer to where she sees Grant and Kebo standing together, talking to each other as they work.

A small laugh escapes past her lips when Max nearly tackles Grant to the ground when he gets to him, the dog barking loudly with his front paws resting as high as he can get them on Grant.

The dog nearly knocked her to the ground earlier when he got over excited about something he saw on their walk, but she was quick to put a stop to it. They've come to a bit of an understanding, her and Max, after a few days of going on walks around the property. She can't say she hates the fresh air and lack of exhaust fumes from car engines. But she's still not a fan of farm life in general. No way in hell.

"So what awful thing am I going to be doing next today?" she asks once she reaches the two men. She rests her hands on her hips as she watches them exchange a look.

"Actually, Kebo's going to assign your next chore to you," Grant says to her. "I need to go and take care of a couple of things real quick that can't wait."

Kebo nods. "Yeah, sure thing, boss. I'll put her to work."

"Great, thanks. Max, let's go, boy," Grant calls out to the dog as he walks through the grass toward another area of the farm.

Skye turns her sights on Kebo once Grant is out of earshot, taking a deep breath. "So what first?"

Kebo's silent for a moment before speaking, "Follow me." He begins walking toward the barn, Skye hesitating very briefly before following behind him through the grass, being careful not step in anything. She's been lucky so far and doesn't want to chance it.

Kebo's quiet the whole way to the barn, not uttering a single word to her until they actually reach the building and he stops in front of the doors, turning to look at her. "You ready for your next chore, sweetheart?" he asks her.

She narrows her eyes at the nickname he won't let up on. "Just tell me what I'm doing."

"Alright. Well, here you are."

Skye takes a large step back once Kebo pulls the door open and immediately covers her nose and mouth. "Oh gosh. What is that disgusting smell?"

"Cows," Kebo deadpans. "And you're feeding 'em."

She tries to listen as he explains what she needs to do, but the stench is really starting to get to her, and just the thought of having to be near such big and slightly disgusting animals is unnerving.

"And that's pretty much it," Kebo says.

Her eyes go wide. "Wait. What do I—?"

"Too much for you to handle, superstar?" He smirks.

Skye narrows her eyes at him and stands up a little taller, her questions long forgotten. "No. It's not."

"Good. I'll be busy outside. Don't bother me unless it's really important. Like if you're dying, perhaps."

Without another word, Kebo turns and makes his way out of the barn, leaving Skye alone.

Letting out a sigh, she turns to face the inside of the barn, breathing in deeply before instantly regretting it. "Well, I guess I should get started," she says to herself. "The faster I do everything the less time I have to actually spend in here."

Moving further into the barn, Skye scrunches her face up at the strong smell. "Wow, okay. That smell is definitely going to rot my brain very soon."

Edging over to one wall, she eyes the few tools sitting in the corner, racking her brain to figure out which one she should use.

"Maybe I should start with the poop," she thinks aloud. "Just to get it done and over with and out of the way."

She walks over to the corner of the barn, selecting one of the tools she thinks she'll need to scoop up the cow poop. Holding her breath, she moves to the first stall and awkwardly uses the shovel to scoop up the poop and dump it into the provided bin. She really hopes it's the one she's supposed to use. That piece of important information is one that she doesn't remember.

"Oh, this is so gross," she mutters to herself. "I should not be doing this. At all. I think I might actually puke."

She flinches when one of the cows moves too quickly in her peripheral, nearly making her drop the shovel against the floor.

.

.

.

"Kebo," Grant calls out as he crosses the yard sometime later, Max dutifully by his side as usual. He's hot and a little sweaty from his work so far, but he needs to keep working for a few more hours before he can get a quick break in.

"Hey." Kebo glances up at him before focusing back on the work in front of him.

"Hey. How are things going over here?" he asks his friend as he comes to a stop next to him.

"As they usually do."

Grant nods. "Right. And how's Skye doing?"

"Superstar's doing fine."

"Where is she?"

Kebo pauses. "Working."

Grant's eyes narrow at the implication of the pause. "Kebo. What did you do?"

"I put her to work like you asked me to."

"Doing what exactly?"

Before Kebo can answer, a loud scream sounds from the direction of the barn, followed by a few loud noises of distress from the cows housed inside.

Grant grunts angrily. "Kebo." He doesn't spare his friend a second more of a glance before taking off quickly in the direction of the barn, skidding to a stop just inside the open doorway.

His eyes go wide and he has to force himself not to laugh at the sight before him; Skye's lying, unfortunately, in a pile of cow manure, her eyes closed tightly and looking like she's about to wretch all over the place and make the cleanup situation worse than it already is.

"Um, are you okay?" he asks as he steps further into the barn.

She fixes him with a hard glare, her breathing heavy. "Do I  _look_  like I'm okay?"

He holds his hands up. "Right, sorry. Here, let me help you up." He moves closer and extends his hand, pulling her up onto her feet.

"I'm going to go inside and take a shower," she tells him. "Though, I don't think any amount of showers can make me feel clean again after this."

"Well you can certainly try," he remarks.

"This is your fault." She narrows her glare at him. "You had your jerk of a friend out there give me something to do. So he tells me to do this. And I literally have no idea what I'm supposed to do, and it's not like he explained in detail what I had to do. So I did what I thought I was supposed to and now look at me. I smell disgusting and I feel disgusting."

"I'm sorry," he says. "I promise I'll have a stern talk with Kebo. He shouldn't have had you do something like this, especially when you've never been on a farm before."

"How do you know I've never been on a farm?"

"I took a wild guess."

She pulls her lips in tight. "Right, well, I'm going to go inside and take that shower now. Fair warning, there may be no hot water left tonight." She turns around and walks stiffly out of the barn, keeping her arms away from her body and her nose turned up.

Grant sighs and picks up the pitchfork, setting it back in its holder and making a mental note to take care of the rest of the mess a little bit later.

Stepping out of the barn, he slides the door closed and then spins around, his eyes searching the expanse of the property for Kebo.

"What in the actual hell is wrong with you?" he asks his best friend as he approaches the other man.

"Oh she was asking for something like that to happen," Kebo responds. "Spoiled little rich girl, she had it coming. Don't try and deny it."

"That was still stooping pretty low."

Kebo shrugs. "Don't expect me to apologize about it."

Grant sighs. "Just please try not to make things more difficult around here, okay? The last thing I need is her threatening to sue us or something?"

"Could she actually do that?" Kebo wonders aloud.

"I don't know. It was just a thought."

Kebo nods. "Right. Well, I don't think she'd have much grounds for a case anyway. We didn't kidnap her, no one's holding a gun to her head and making her work her."

"Still, I'd rather not risk it. Now come help me clean up the mess in the barn. It's your fault it happened, so you're going to help."

Kebo sighs. "Fine."

.

.

.

" _Up and coming actress Lorelei is slated to play the female lead in Asgard Pictures' latest upcoming project. No other news yet has been released for this film, only that they are aiming for a release sometime next winter and is predicted to be a huge hit at the box office. This will be Lorelei's first lead role in a feature film since she started her career only a year ago, and fans are excited to see just how well she's going to do and how far this can take her."_

"That was supposed to be my part," Skye speaks loudly through gritted teeth in the direction of the television set, remote control held tightly in her hand. "I was supposed to be the female lead in that movie. Your movie's gonna tank," she says to the projected image of the red-headed actress on the screen. "Just watch, no one's gonna want to see it. Not with that skanky redhead wannabe in it."

She closes her eyes tightly as her chest tightens and her eyes start to sting. She fights hard against the tears, but they fight back just as hard. Her breathing gets quicker and her entire body begins to feel as if she's sitting in the middle of a campfire.

"Skye!"

Her eyes open quickly and she whips her head around to see Grant standing near her, watching her carefully with furrowed brows.

"Hey, is everything okay in here?"

She ignores him and stands up, stumbling for a moment on her feet before crossing into the kitchen and going straight for the fridge. She balls her hands into fists to try and keep them from shaking.

His footsteps against the hardwood floor tell her he's following after her. "You seemed pretty out of it when I walked in. Want to talk about it?" he offers.

"No," she replies harshly, head buried in the refrigerator. "What I want is a beer. Don't you have  _any_ alcohol around here?"

"I don't keep alcohol here on a regular basis," he tells her. "I only have it for certain occasions if there aren't kids around."

"Just my luck," she mutters, slamming the door of the fridge closed. She leans her forehead against the refrigerator door, her eyes closing as she breathes in and out deeply.

She revels in the quiet that fills the room, allowing her to get her head back together. She manages to get her breathing back under control and being in front of the open refrigerator helped a little to ground her; she doesn't feel like she's on fire anymore.

Grant's voice draws her attention away from the picture on the fridge door she'd been staring at without even realizing.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to spill all of your problems to, so I'm not going to suggest that you do. But maybe it'll help if you find some way to vent your frustrations, so they're not always bottled up inside. Whatever works for you, do that."

She watches him for a moment, not quite sure how to respond to his suggestion. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She turns and makes her way down the hallway before he can say anything else to her.

When she gets into her room she closes the door and then walks over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it.

Her mind wanders back to what Grant said, about finding a way to vent all of her frustrations. Usually, she drinks her problems away, or goes out and does something spontaneous with Miles. Neither of which she is able to do at the given moment. And she really doesn't think anyone would appreciate it if she started breaking things.

Remembering the notebook she'd taken the other day from the library, she grabs it out of the drawer of the nightstand and holds it in her hands. She absentmindedly flips through the pages for a moment, letting her thoughts gather in her head. She's not quite sure why she took it. Part of it was because she figured no one would miss a blank notebook in a room so full of books to read and apparently write in.

Opening up to the first empty page, she stares down at the blank canvas before reaching out for one of the random pens lying on the nightstand next to her bed.

Bringing the pen down, she scribbles a few lines onto the page.

_Life sucks. I hate this place. I just want to go home. I hate mom and dad for sending me here. I don't want to be here. I just want to go back and get another role, do what I'm good at, what I know I can do. I don't want to be here. End of story._

Closing the notebook, she sets it off to the side, along with the pen, and then scoots herself down further on the bed until she's lying on her pillow.

Rolling onto her side, she lets her eyes close as the tears start to silently fall from her cheeks, slowly staining the blanket beneath her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts down below.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! I'm really excited to get to some of the juicier stuff in this story, and for you guys to see what I've got planned. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Rolling onto her side, Skye pulls her blanket up higher over her face, burying her head as far into her pillow as she can get it. She closes her eyes tighter, drowning out the incessant knocking at the door to her room. Maybe if she just ignores it he'll go away. That strategy has worked plenty of times for her in the past. So it'll definitely work this time too.

Soft padding against the hardwood floor right outside the door tells her that he's finally leaving. She lets out a breath of relief.

Tossing the blanket off the top half of her body, she reaches out to the side and grabs her cell phone from where it sits on the nightstand. She unplugs it and holds it in front of her face. She sighs at the lack of messages. Not that she's surprised. Grant said there's a really weak cell signal, so it's not like she'd get any messages right away. They'd all be delayed and none of her responses would get out quickly either.

Sighing again, she drops her phone onto the bed and runs her hands down her face.

Pushing the blanket the rest of the way off her body, she climbs out of the bed and shuffles out toward the kitchen.

Stepping into the kitchen, she lets out a yawn and runs a hand through her hair, getting out any tangles that may have accrued during the night as she slept.

She makes an immediate beeline for the coffee maker, her daily routine, pouring some into the mug that's left out on the counter. She's assuming it's for her to use.

Carrying the mug over to the table, she sits down and takes a tentative sip, not wanting to burn herself.

She sets the mug down and leans back in her chair, turning her head to look out the window. She watches as the glow from the not yet risen sun shines behind the horizon, illuminating the small hills just beyond the farm. In a weird way, it's kind of beautiful.

"Glad to see you're awake."

She turns her head and quirks a brow in Kebo's direction. "You are?"

He shakes his head. "Not really. Thought I'd try it out, though."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"Bit weird." He's quiet for a moment, shifting on his feet. "Look, about yesterday…"

She shakes her head quickly. "No. Let's not talk about that. It's fine."

Kebo furrows his brows. "It is?"

She pulls her lips in tight and nods once. "Absolutely."

He lets out a breath and nods. "Right. Okay, then." He busies himself with something else while she sits in her chair and thinks.

"Can I ask you something?" she speaks up after a quick beat of silence.

"Depends on what your question is."

"What's that old building outside?" she replies, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table. "Not the barn, obviously I know what the barn looks like, but the other one, it's smaller and kind of worn down, I think there's a padlock on the door. I saw it when I was taking Max on his walk the other day but didn't think about asking about it until just now."

Kebo sighs and nods. "Ah, yes. Figured you'd notice that sooner or later. That, sweetheart, would be the shop. Like, for metalworking and stuff."

"Like a blacksmith?"

He shrugs. "Kind of."

"Oh. Is there a key somewhere for the padlock?"

He shrugs again. "Probably. Don't know where it is, though. Only Grant does."

"So why doesn't he open it then?"

"'Cause he's the one who put the padlock there."

"Why?"

"'Cause no one's allowed inside?"

"How come?"

"This is starting to sound a lot like more than just one question," Kebo remarks.

"Humor me. What's with the padlock? Why did Grant put it there and why is no one allowed inside?"

Kebo sighs again and sits down in the chair across from her. "Grant used to go in there a lot when he was younger. It was his grandfather's shop and he spent a lot of time in there, learning how to do what his grandfather did. His Gramsy was always encouraging him to do it too, and was always proud of him whenever he made something new. A lot of the stuff he made was for her."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah." He takes a deep breath and shifts in his seat. "Well, after his grandfather passed away, he still went in there, because he still had his Gramsy there to encourage him and tell him how much she loved whatever he made for her. But then his grandmother passed away, and he lost that fire inside of him. He lost his drive to make anything again. So he put a padlock on it and hasn't stepped foot inside since."

Skye frowns. "That's so sad."

Kebo shrugs. "That's life." He takes a deep breath and stands from the chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to go and get done."

She nods her head. "Right, of course. And I have some breakfast to eat."

"And then some chores," he adds.

She shrugs. "If I'm feeling up to it. We'll see."

Kebo rolls his eyes and then steps out of the house without another word in her direction.

Letting out a sigh, she turns her attention to the dishes of food set out in front of her. There's just enough for her to have a good-sized helping of each thing, Grant and Kebo having already had their shares.

She eats in silence, something she's slowly getting used to. The noise on a farm is vastly different from noise in the city. It's quieter on the farm, a bit more peaceful.

Finishing up her breakfast, she carries her dishes over to the sink before letting out a heavy sigh.

She forces herself to move out of the kitchen and toward the back door. She makes a quick stop in her room to change and then heads outside.

Stepping down the back porch and into the grass, Skye casually strolls over to where Grant is standing with Max at his side.

"Alright, Max, let's go," she calls out to the dog. "Time for your walk."

She gestures with her head toward the path they always take and begins walking. Max follows quickly behind her and then moves in front of her, wandering around the path and sniffing at anything he can find.

She lets a small smile cross onto her lips when she sees Max bury his nose in a cluster of sunflowers along the edge of the path.

She tucks her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she follows behind the dog, her eyes eventually being drawn to the blacksmith shop a little way down the road.

She hesitates a moment, wanting to go and examine it again, her natural curiosity fighting to take control. But she stamps it down, turning away from the building.

Now is not the time to go invading someone's privacy. She's not a complete monster.

.

.

.

"We're back," Skye announces as she and Max approach the large field where Grant and Kebo are working together. "What's my next punishment?" she questions, watching as Max trots happily over to Grant.

"This isn't a punishment, Skye," he tells her, casting a quick glance at her over his shoulder.

She quirks a brow and crosses her arms over her chest. "Really? Because it definitely feels like I'm being punished. Felt that way since I stepped foot in this place."

Grant sighs, running a hand through Max's fur and turning fully toward her. "Right. Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. I wish you didn't, but obviously I can't force you to feel any different." He takes a deep breath. "So, are you ready for your next chore?"

She shrugs. "I guess. Just as long as it's not completely disgusting and I don't have to risk getting dirty. Again."

"Hate to disappoint you, Rookie, but pretty much every chore on this farm requires getting a little down and dirty at some point. I really thought you would have figured that out by now. Especially with what happened with the cows yesterday."

Her eyes narrow. "It's because I figured it out that I'm asking for something that doesn't require me to get dirty."

"Well, unfortunately for you, there aren't too many chores out here that leave you as clean as you were when you woke up."

Skye sighs. "Fine. What am I going to do?"

"Follow me." He gestures with his head toward the smaller building next to the barn, pulling the doors open. "You're going to gather up the eggs today."

She raises her brows. "And how exactly am I going to do that?"

"I'm going to show you. But I'm—"

"Wait," she cuts him off. "You're actually going to show me how to do it?"

He nods. "Yeah. It's what Kebo should have done yesterday with the cows. He should have had you watch him so you knew what to do."

She nods. "Right, okay. Go on."

"It's pretty easy," he tells her, turning back as he continues speaking. "But I'm only going to do it once as I explain what to do right now and then after, so you need to watch carefully."

"Alright, fine. Whatever." She steps closer to him, her chest just barely brushing against his back, sending a quick jolt through her body that she ignores after swallowing thickly.

He looks over his shoulder at her with furrowed brows. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting close so I can watch."

"You can watch, just don't smother," he tells her.

She raises her hands and takes a small step back. "Better?"

He gives a quick nod. "Much." He turns back in front of him. "Now, these ladies are usually pretty docile and don't give me much trouble when I get the eggs. But they don't know you, so they might be a bit more testy."

"Perfect," she mutters.

.

.

.

"So, how do you feel?" Grant asks Skye when he sees her emerge from the chicken coop a little while later, carrying a basket full of eggs.

"Gross," she replies.

He fights back a chuckle. "Right. Well, thanks for doing that. After you wash those and set them out to dry you can—"

"Nope," she cuts him off, already headed up toward the house. "Not happening. After I finish with these I'm done for today. I need to go shower. Have fun being all gross and stuff."

Grant sighs as he watches Skye walk up into the house and disappear from his view.

"Well, that went smashingly," Kebo speaks up.

Grant rolls his eyes. "Kebo, not now."

"What? I'm just being honest. Something's gonna have to change if we want to get rid of little miss priss as quickly as possible."

"You need to ease up a little, Kebo."

"I will do no such thing," Kebo responds. "And you cannot make me, either."

"I could threaten to fire you," he says with a small smirk.

Kebo opens and closes his mouth. "Okay, so you could do that. But honestly, without me, who else could you find that'd be willing to do what I do?"

Grant tilts his head in thought. "It is hard to find good help these days."

"Exactly my point. I've made myself irreplaceable."

Grant laughs quietly. "Alright, Mr. Irreplaceable, just get back to work. If Skye's not going to help us, then we've got a lot to do."

"We always had a lot to do even before superstar arrived," Kebo tells her. "It's not like the work multiplied since she got here."

"Yes, I know that."

"Good, so I won't need to remind you again."

"No, you won't. Now please, get back to work."

Kebo waves him off. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Grant shakes his head at his friend before turning his attention back to the work ahead of him.

.

.

.

Jotting down the last of her thoughts, Skye closes the notebook in her lap and sets it back in the nightstand drawer next to her. She lets out a sigh as she leans back against the headboard.

Her head falls to the side and she stares out the window at the growing darkness, wishing she could be out having fun with her friends instead of cooped up like those damn chickens.

Sighing again, she pushes herself off the bed and crosses the room to the door, stepping out into the hallway.

Moving across the hall, she enters the kitchen, making a beeline for the refrigerator.

She pulls open the door and bends down, eyes scanning the shelves for something to snack on in the late hours.

"You're still up?"

She lifts her head to see Grant sitting on the couch in the living room, a book open in his lap.

"So are you," she remarks.

He shrugs. "Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither. Must be the farm smells. My brain doesn't quite like what it smells, so it keeps me awake."

He nods. "Right."

"So what's your excuse?" she asks him.

"Sometimes I like to just sit and read for a bit before I go to bed. Helps me relax after a long day."

"Good to know, I guess. I just came out here looking for a snack."

"Can I help you find something in particular?"

She shakes her head. "No. Once I remembered where I am I think I lost my appetite. Guess being around disgusting smells will do that to you. Goodnight," she calls to him as she makes her way out of the kitchen and back to her room.

Pushing through the door, she closes it tightly behind her and then falls down onto her bed with a heavy sigh.

She doesn't know how much longer of being on this farm she can actually take. Eventually, it's going to drive her mad. She's sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also, since my birthday is this month, I decided to donate my birthday to the non-profit organization F*** Cancer. I created a Facebook fundraiser for it, so if any of you are interested the link is here: www.facebook.com/donate/475366936219180/  
> This fundraiser means a lot to me, so it'd be awesome if I could at least reach the minimum donation of $100 so that the money can get donated.  
> Thanks. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. Only the fifth chapter, but it's a bit of a turning point. Or, at least, the start of the turning point for these two characters we all love. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

"Alright, what's on the docket for today, farm boy?" Skye asks with a disinterested look on her face when she gets back from her daily walk with Max. The German Shepherd immediately makes a beeline for Grant, panting heavily with his tongue out.

Grant leans down to greet Max, giving him an affectionate head rub and a smile before standing up straight and looking at Skye. "Figured you could probably use a bit of a break from farm work for today," he tells her.

Skye smiles at the thought. "Great. So then I'll just be in my room slee—"

Grant shakes his head, cutting off her excitement. "Not so fast, Rookie. I said you can have a break from farm work. Not work in general."

The smile falls from her face and she sighs. "What am I doing, then?"

"You're coming into town with me."

Skye perks up. "Really?"

Grant nods. "Yeah. I need to pick up some things for some of the animals and drop off a few things at some local places; figured you'd want to get away from here for a few hours."

"Well you figured right," she says. "A person can only handle so much farm time."

"I handle it just fine," he says.

"You've practically grown up here. And you're certifiably insane, so there's that."

"So I've been told. We should only be gone a couple of hours. We should hopefully be back in time for lunch."

"Good to know. So when are we leaving?"

"Now," Grant says, turning and making his way toward the front of the yard to go to his truck, Max right beside him.

"Can I change first? I'd really rather not go into town like this." She gestures to her clothes, the ones she's been wearing when she's out doing farm work. However rare that actually is.

He nods. "Make it quick."

Grant trudges the rest of the way to the front yard. Pulling open the door of the truck, he lets Max hop inside before he himself climbs inside the cab and closes the door.

Buckling his seatbelt, he waits somewhat patiently for Skye to join them, looking over at his dog. "What do you think about her being out here so far, boy?" he asks the dog. "Think she'll survive out here for a few more months?"

Max lets out a bark.

Grant smiles and chuckles, reaching out to scratch the dog behind the ear. There are plenty of times, like now for example, when he wishes he knew what his dog was actually thinking about a certain situation. It would definitely make things more interesting.

A few minutes later he finally spots Skye emerging from the front of the house, dressed in a nicer pair of jeans than before, a tight-fitting v-neck, and a pair of converse. Her hair is let down from its bun and billowing in the slight breeze.

He swallows thickly and then clears his throat, just in time for her to pull open the door and climb up inside.

"You ready to go now?" he asks her.

She nods as she buckles her seatbelt. "Mm-hmm. Take me to civilization, farm boy."

Grant sighs and shakes his head, turning over the engine of the truck and then slowly backing out of the driveway.

"Put your feet down," he instructs when he sees her sliding down in the seat to put her feet up on the dashboard.

"What?"

"I said put your feet down."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to."

"I'm not a child."

"Then don't argue with me like one. I'd really appreciate it if you took your feet down off the dashboard of my truck."

Skye sighs heavily before dropping her feet. "Happy?"

"Yes."

"I'm so glad I'm not drunk right now because you would have seriously ruined my buzz."

"All I did was ask you to put your feet down because I don't want shoe prints all over my car."

"You didn't ask, you demanded. Big difference. Do you mind if I listen to the radio?" she asks, changing the subject and already leaning toward the radio.

He sighs. "Go ahead."

"Great." She flips on the radio and takes a moment to switch between the few stations available. She smiles. "Ooh, I love this song." She turns the volume up and then leans back in her seat, opening her mouth to sing along.

.

.

.

"This doesn't look anything like civilization to me," Skye remarks as Grant pulls his truck onto a long road, small businesses lining either side of the road.

"Do you see buildings?" he asks her.

Her brows furrow. "Yeah."

"And people?"

"Yeah."

He pulls into a parking space along the sidewalk. "Then it's civilization."

She frowns. "It's not exactly what I was hoping for."

He shifts the gear into park and then shuts off the engine. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Rookie. But this is what a small town looks like. I know it's not what you're used to, being from Hollywood and all that fancy stuff. But some people actually like living in a small town where everybody knows everybody."

"You don't live in the small town," she reminds him. "You live on a farm practically in the middle of nowhere."

"No, the farm is still a part of the town. It's just a little further off." He removes his keys from the ignition and slides them into his pocket, reaching behind him for the door handle. "Now come on, we've got a lot to do before we head back." He climbs out of the vehicle, waiting a moment for Max to climb out after him, and then shuts the door.

"Do I really have to do all the errands with you?" Skye asks him as she climbs out of the truck, leaning up against it and looking at him over the hood.

"I was hoping you would," he admits. "I don't know if I can trust you to be on your own right now considering you don't even want to be here. The last thing I need is Nick getting on my case about you getting loose somehow."

Skye shakes her head. "Nick's a big softy in reality. And you're right, I don't want to be here. But I promise that I won't try and run off while you're doing all of your errands and I'm sitting inside somewhere that has air conditioning. Besides, all my stuff is still back at the farm so it's not like I'm going to leave it there."

Grant furrows his brows before letting out a sigh and nodding his head. "Fine. You can go do whatever you want around here. Just...try not to draw too much attention to yourself, okay? Nobody knows that you're staying at the farm and I'd like to keep it that way."

"What? You don't want visitors down at that place?"

"It's not exactly a summer camp."

She puts her hands up in defense. "Fine. I won't purposefully draw attention to myself. But I can't promise people won't know who I am. I'm pretty popular, in case you forgot."

Grant rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Come on." He gestures with his head for her to follow behind him as he begins walking down the sidewalk, Max right on his heels.

"Wait!" Skye rushes to catch up to him. "I thought you just said that I don't have to go with you."

"You don't. But I thought you might like me to point out a place that has computers and WiFi so you can check your precious social media and let your fans know that you aren't dead in a ditch somewhere."

She blinks a couple of times. "Oh, right. Well uh, thanks."

"No problem."

The two continue walking down the sidewalk in silence, Skye keeping her head down to try and lessen the number of people that might recognize her and make a big fuss. She honestly doesn't mind the fuss, encourages it, actually, but she has a strong feeling Grant wouldn't appreciate being bombarded by her fans.

"Grant? Is that you over there?"

Stopping and turning around, she watches as Grant smiles at the older woman walking toward them, a smile on her face as well.

"Aunt Cathy, hey."

The elderly woman, Cathy, pulls him down into a tight hug. "How are you, dear?" she asks him.

"Doing alright. You?"

"I'm old, sweetheart," she tells him with an amused smile as she releases the hug. "How do you think I'm doing?"

Grant chuckles. "You may be old, Aunt Cathy, but you're still as young at heart and lively as ever."

Cathy pats his cheek gently. "Thank you, Grant. You always were a sweet boy. And who is your friend?" she asks when her eyes find Skye standing next to Grant.

Grant looks at her before looking back at Cathy. "This is Skye. She's staying with me for a while to help out around the farm."

"Not by choice, by the way," Skye interrupts. "I was dumped there by my parents."

Cathy's brows furrow and her smile fades.

"She's had some...problems back home," Grant tells the older woman. "Skye, this is my Aunt Cathy. She's not really my aunt but she was my Gramsy's best friend, so she's basically family."

"Nice to meet you," Skye says, giving the woman a tight smile.

"How long are you here for, dear?" Cathy asks her.

"Depends on how long it takes for me to 'clean up my act' as my parents would put it."

Cathy nods. "Ah, I see. Well, you're in good hands here. Grant is a fine young man and I'm sure he's really putting you to work out on that farm of his."

"You know that I am, Aunt Cathy."

"Well, I should probably get going; I have some things I need to do. It was great to see you, Grant."

Grant smiles. "You too, Aunt Cathy."

"And it was lovely meeting you, Skye. I hope to see you again sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe," Skye replies, giving the woman a small wave as she watches her walk away. "She seems nice."

"The nicest," Grant replies. "Aunt Cathy was always there when we were growing up. Everybody here loves her."

"I'm sure they do. Now can we please find that place you were going to show me?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on. It's down this way." He turns and continues walking in the direction he had been before, Skye following right behind him.

"Alright, here we are," Grant says to Skye when they eventually reach a small shop.

"What is it?" Skye asks, looking it up and down.

"It's an internet café," he tells her. "They don't have any these in LA?"

"I don't know. I've never needed to use one."

He nods. "Right. Well, they have cheap, but good, coffee and free internet, so go crazy. I'll meet you back at the truck in an hour so you can help with a few things before we head back."

"Yeah, whatever." She waves him off as she moves toward the café.

Pushing open the door, she makes her way inside, letting out a breath of relief at the air conditioning that immediately surrounds her, as well as the few open computer stations.

Taking an open station near the back of the room, she sits down and immediately opens up an internet browser, frowning when it takes longer than she would have liked for it to load.

Once it finally loads, she goes to Twitter, signing in to her account and waiting a moment for it to load as well. When it does, she scrolls down her feed a little, laughing amusedly to herself at some of the ridiculous things people are saying.

Seeing the large number over her notifications section, she clicks on it and quickly scrolls through, her eyes skimming over the different tweets from fans asking her all sorts of questions or tagging her in pictures they've drawn of her and the various characters she's portrayed over the years.

Hitting the 'new tweet' button in the top right corner of the screen, she quickly types out a message to her followers.

_**@RealSkye:** Just to let you all know, I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere. Just off the grid for a while, unfortunately. Thanks for all of your continued support. Hope to be back soon. :)_

She sends the tweet out and then leans back in her chair as she lets out a breath.

"No way."

Lifting her head, Skye finds a young girl with dark red hair standing next to her, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped.

"Hi," she says with a small smile.

"You're Skye Coulson."

"I am. And you are?"

"Lauren."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lauren."

"You too. I love you and all your movies. You're so good in them."

"Thank you."

"Can I get your autograph?" Lauren asks her.

Skye smiles. "Of course you can. Do you have any paper or anything?"

Lauren gasps. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

Skye lets out a huffed laugh. "Trust me, kid, I'm not going anywhere." She watches as Lauren runs off to another area of the cafe and then returns a little bit later carrying a piece of paper and a pen.

"Here. I borrowed them from my dad's office."

Skye's brows furrow as she takes the paper. "Does your dad work here?"

"He's the boss."

"Oh, cool." She looks down at the paper in her hands and begins scribbling a message across it. " _To Lauren, thank you for being such a big fan. Hope to see you again soon. Love, Skye."_  She clicks the pen and then hands both items back to the girl in front of her. "There you go."

Lauren stares down at the paper with a wide smile. "Wow. This is so awesome. My friends are gonna be so jealous."

Skye laughs quietly. "I'm sure they will be. Just...don't tell them that I'm staying in town, alright?"

Lauren looks up at her. "Why not?"

Skye leans forward and speaks quietly to Lauren, "Because I'm working on a super secret project right now that nobody can know about."

Lauren grins. "Awesome. I can't wait to see it. And thanks again for the autograph."

"Not a problem."

Lauren gives her a smile and wave before turning around and making her way into another part of the café, clutching tightly to the sheet of paper in her hands.

She'll never get tired of seeing little girls clutch her autograph to their chest in pure glee, it's one of her favorite parts about what she does. Always will be.

.

.

.

Skye lets out a breath as she steps down out of the truck, closing the door behind her. She rests her hands on her hips and takes a moment to look back around the large property.

"You know, I honestly never thought I'd be so glad to be back here," she remarks. "I mean, it's not really that great of a place, but I guess after spending a few hours in what you claim to be civilization, this place doesn't seem all too bad. Even though it smells like literal crap all the time."

"What's your problem?"

Skye turns and gawks at Grant, one eyebrow raised at him. "Excuse me?"

He shifts on his feet, leaning against the hood of the truck to look at her. "You heard me, what's your problem? Have you always been this infuriating and aggravating, or is just a more recent development of the last couple years?"

Skye blinks. "Wha-what?"

"I know you haven't been here for very long, but from the minute you set foot on this property all you've done is complain. Every day it's nothing but backhanded compliments, sarcastic quips, and just blatant negativity. And you know, I really don't understand it. I've held my tongue until now, hoping you'd pull it together on your own, but you haven't."

He shifts on his feet. "And I get that you're basically Hollywood royalty, and everyone pretty much bows down at your feet whenever you enter a room and will give you whatever you want, but just in case you haven't noticed, this isn't Hollywood, Skye, this is the real world. And in the real world, people actually have to work for things that they want. So cut the crap, get a grip on reality, and really start pulling your weight around here. Or I'm calling Nick to tell your family to come back and get you because you obviously don't care, and then you can most likely kiss your career goodbye. Your choice."

He slams the drivers' side door closed before grabbing one of the bags out of the back of the truck and carrying it up to the house, Max trailing right behind him.

Skye stands rooted in her spot, her mouth agape and her eyes still a little wide at everything Grant just said to her. No one's ever said anything even remotely like that to her before. But there's a first time for everything, apparently.

Shaking her head to clear away her thoughts, she steps toward the back of the truck, ready to reach inside and grab out one of the bags to take into the house.

"Don't bother," Grant's voice calls from behind her.

Next thing she sees is his hands reaching out beside her for the bag, lifting it out of the bed of the truck way easier than she would have been able to.

She turns to look at him and notices the deep scowl set on his face.

"I've got this," he tells her. "Just go and do something else. I don't care what." He turns around and walks away from her, leaving her standing rooted in her spot again.

Blinking quickly to get rid of the tears she feels building up in her eyes, she turns and stalks away from the truck, making her way across the expansive property to the trail she takes Max on every morning.

As she walks along the dirt path, she continues to fight back the tears threatening to spill over as she curls her hands tightly into fists to try and keep them from shaking. She is not going to cry. Not because of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Going out of town today for my family reunion, so I figured I'd update before I leave for the weekend.
> 
> This one's pretty good, I think.
> 
> Enjoy!

Stepping through the back door of the house and out into the backyard, Grant looks over the large expanse of his property, looking for a certain brunette. He figured he'd give her a few days without hassling her to do any work after what happened when they came back from town, but now he's thinking it wasn't the best idea he's ever had.

"Kebo," he calls out when he sees his best friend already at work out in the yard. He steps down off the porch and makes his way over to the other man. "Have you seen Skye anywhere?"

Kebo looks up at him and shakes his head. "No, mate, I haven't. Sorry. What's going on?"

Grant's brows furrow in confusion and slight frustration and he lets out a huff of air. "I don't know. I went to wake her up and let her know that breakfast was ready but she wasn't in her room."

Kebo's eyes go wide. "You actually went in there?"

"Only after I knocked a few times and didn't get a response from her. I have no idea where she is."

"Did you look around out here?" he asks.

"No."

"Why not?"

He quirks a brow. "Seriously? Have you met her, Kebo? Do you honestly think she'd be out here willingly, before either of us, doing yard work or cleaning up after the animals?"

Kebo shrugs. "I don't know. It was just a suggestion."

Grant sighs, running a hand through his hair. "No, it's fine. I'll uh, I'll look around out here, I guess. Keep an eye and let me know if you see her anywhere."

"Will do." Kebo gives him a curt nod before going back to the work at hand.

Making his way across the field, Grant keeps his eyes and ears trained for any possible sign of Skye out and about, even though he doesn't quite believe that to be a possibility. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if she found a way to leave without him knowing. But all of her stuff was still in her room when he looked in there, and she told him before that she wouldn't leave without her things. So he's not really sure where she could be.

At this point, he doesn't even care if she does any work, he just needs to know where she is or he's going to drive himself insane. He's technically in charge of her while she's staying on the farm, even though she's a grown woman. But she's a grown woman who has a habit of making questionable decisions.

Hearing odd noises coming from the barn as he nears it, his brows furrow together and he turns toward it to see the doors partially open.

Pulling the door open a little more and stepping inside, he freezes in his steps at the sight before him. Skye's dressed in the same pair of jeans and t-shirt she always does while working, her hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head; she's standing in the middle of the barn floor, struggling a bit to move hay into the different cow pens.

"Skye? What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I'm not worthless," she says back, not missing a beat in answering him as she continues to toss hay into the stalls as best she can.

His brows furrow deeper in confusion at her words. "What?"

"I am  _not_ worthless," she repeats, shoveling faster despite how much he can see she's struggling. "I party, and I drink, and yes, I do some pretty stupid stuff, but I'm not worthless. I'm a good actor. And that's not just me being conceited either. That's a fact. If I wasn't a good actor, then I wouldn't have booked so many roles over the years. It's not because of my parents. It's because I'm a good actor. But now I'm here on this farm in the middle of nowhere shoveling hay into cow stalls because nobody will hire me and it really sucks because I love what I do but now I can't get a single job because everyone thinks I—damn it!" She angrily throws the pitchfork she'd been using off to the side, the metal tool clattering against the cement. Her hands shake as they come up to her face and wipe furiously at her eyes.

"Who said you're worthless?" he asks quietly.

"No one," she replies. "But someone's thinking it. I just...I know someone is. People don't like who I am anymore, now that I'm not playing some naive little teenager on the Disney Channel, and I just...I'm sick of it. They all think I'm worthless now. Including you."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hey, no." He rushes to lessen the distance between them and rests his hands on her shoulders, ducking his head to look into her eyes. "I do not think that you're worthless."

"But you said—"

"I know what I said to you," he tells her with a small nod. "But I never once uttered the words 'you're worthless'. And I'm sorry if what I said was hurtful to you. I guess I was just frustrated with how you were acting and I said a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have."

"It was kind of mean," she admits. "But I think...I think I needed to hear it. It just took me by surprise at first. No one's ever said those kinds of things to my face, they didn't want to offend the actress and risk being sued or something, I guess. And my parents, well, I think that coming from my parents it didn't seem as harsh or whatnot because they're my parents and they were always so busy. But you're a virtual stranger and you had the guts to say this stuff to my face. So thank you."

His brows furrow in confusion. "Wait. You're actually thanking me for telling you off?"

She nods. "Mm-hmm. What you said...it made me realize...that I don't want to be that girl anymore. The one who parties all the time and gets drunk and does stupid stuff which causes her not to get roles. I want to be somebody that production companies are fighting each other over to have in their movies. I think I was taking advantage of what I had but didn't exactly realize it. I guess I needed somebody to give it to me straight to wake me up."

"Is that why you're out here mucking out and refilling the stalls?"

She tilts her head. "It's called mucking?"

"Yeah. So you being out here before me, that's because you want to change?'

She nods. "Yeah. It is. And I really do."

He nods once and takes a small step back. "Okay. I think we can help you with that, then. I'm not going to hold back, though, just so you know right now. I'm going to work you to the bone. I've been going pretty easy on you with the chores around here. You might get pretty mad or upset with me as we go."

"I can take it," she tells him.

"Are you sure?"

She nods curtly. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright. Let's get to work, then. I'll help you finish the mucking and then we'll move onto something else."

"Sounds like a plan. Just don't break me, okay? I'm still fairly young and have my whole life ahead of me."

He laughs quietly. "I promise I won't break you. Now come on." He gestures with his head toward the large pile of hay and they both get to work on refilling the stalls.

.

.

.

Skye leans forward and rests her hands on her knees, breathing heavily and glancing up through her eyelashes at the man in front of her. He looks like he's hardly broken a sweat since they started working and she hates it. Completely.

"Wow. You really weren't kidding when you said you weren't going to hold back on the chores."

"I told you I wasn't going to," he reminds her.

"Yeah, I know. But I think I'm going to be sore for weeks after today. That wasn't fun. At all."

"Never said it was going to be fun." He tilts his head. "Though, I have to say that I do enjoy what I do here. So I guess I consider it to be fun."

She shakes her head. "Figures you would be the one to consider manual labor to be fun."

Grant chuckles quietly. "I guess I consider it fun because I've always been out here doing it. From the time I could walk my Gramsy and Grandpa had me out here doing chores. At first, it was just the little stuff, like collecting eggs and refilling food and stuff. But as I got older I started taking on more chores, doing some of the heavier stuff."

"Wow. Really?"

He nods. "Yeah. This farm has been my whole life. I honestly can't imagine not being here doing all of this."

She tilts her head as she thinks. "I guess that's kind of how I feel about acting. I've been doing it all my life. Whenever people ask me what I'd be doing if I wasn't an actor, it's really hard to answer because I've never thought about it before."

"You've really never thought about it?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "Nope."

"Well if you had to pick right now," he says. "What's something you'd want to do if you weren't acting?"

"I literally just told you that that's one of the hardest questions for me to answer."

He smiles and shrugs. "I know."

She scoffs playfully and shakes her head. "Wow. Okay. Um...I don't know...maybe...computers?"

"Computers?"

She nods after a quick pause, thinking about it some more. "Yeah. I think so. I mean, I've always kind of been fascinated by them, in a way. I know the basics of how to use them, obviously, since I'm all over social media, but I guess there's another part of me that's curious for knowing more about them and how they work."

She shifts on her feet when she notices him watching her with a smile. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Grant, seriously. What?"

"It's just...that's probably the first honest thing you've told me about yourself since you've been here. And that doesn't include your breakdown in the barn earlier. It's kind of nice to see a different side to you."

"I was caught up in the moment," she tells him, waving it off. "Don't expect me to keep opening up to you. I barely know you. Now, I'm going to go inside and shower. And don't tell me that I can't, I've worked up such a sweat out here, I really need a shower."

He shakes his head. "No, it's fine. Go ahead and shower. You worked hard, you deserve it. Just don't stay inside forever, okay? There's still plenty of work out here to do. I mean, you'll probably have to shower again, but it's up to you."

"Oh, I'm showering now," she tells him, already moving in the direction of the house. "I don't mind showering again later. I just need to wash off this layer of gross before I get another and it starts to build up."

He chuckles. "Alright, suit yourself."

.

.

.

Stepping out of her second shower that day, Skye secures the fluffy towel around her as she wipes the fog from the mirror. She takes a moment to look at her reflection, warped from the water still on the glass.

She lets out a breath before unwrapping her towel so she can dry herself off completely. She gets herself dressed into her pajamas and then steps out of the bathroom, switching off the light as she goes.

Making a detour to the kitchen on her way back to her room, she grabs an apple out of the bowl on the county.

"I take it you're feeling better?"

She nods and turns toward where Grant's sitting reading a book on the couch in the living room.

"Much better, actually."

"Glad to hear it."

"Thanks."

"No problem. But I guess now this means I'll be seeing you in the morning on time with no complaining."

She sighs. "I guess so. Damn, I really didn't think this thing through all the way." She lets a tiny smile crawl across her face at the remark.

Grant gets a similar smile on his own face. "Yeah, yeah. Go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a busy one."

"As opposed to any of your other days here?" she questions.

"Busy for you," he amends.

She nods. "Ah, right. Got it. See you in the morning, then."

"Yeah."

She gives him a small, tight-lipped smile before turning around and making her way to her room. She closes the door behind her, immediately falling down onto her bed.

Reaching to the nightstand, she pulls out her notebook and leans back against her headboard. She opens up to the next blank page, quickly scribbles the date at the top, and then starts jotting down her various thoughts from the day.

_Things are starting look up out here. I mean, I'm still not completely happy that I have to be here, but I think Grant and I are sort of on the same page now. So I don't think I'll be as miserable anymore. Only slightly._

_Cause farms still aren't my favorite place to be. But the company I have out here isn't the worst._

_Except Kebo. I think he's one of those people who's an acquired taste. He's a bit strange._

_As much as I'd like to, I don't think mom and dad would want me to come home just yet. Being here less than a month probably isn't enough time to learn my lesson, or whatever, in their eyes._

_Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What do you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. This one's a big one. Sorta. There's a bit more of a shift between these two, and there is some significant stuff that happens here.
> 
> Enjoy!

Making her way out the back door of the house after finishing her lunch, Skye looks around the expansive property, one hand held against her forehead as a makeshift visor to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight high above her.

Finding Grant standing a ways off near the single large building that she still hasn't been inside, she casually strolls across the lawn toward him, breathing in deeply as she walks. She's definitely getting used to the air around here now, she doesn't hate it as much as she did when she first arrived. A few weeks ago she would not have been smiling as she walked casually through the breeze.

"So, what am I going to be doing now?" she asks Grant when she reaches him, her brain racking through all the possibilities but nothing comes to mind.

Grant gives her a small smile when he sees her and she smiles back. "This afternoon," he tells her, "I had something special in mind. Because you've been working so hard lately, without any excessive complaining, I decided to treat you a little. Which is why you are going to help me out with these beauties."

He turns and slides open the doors to the stable, revealing individual stables along each side, a few of them holding different breeds of horses.

"Are those horses?" Skye asks him, not moving from her spot.

Grant looks at her and nods. "Yeah." He turns back to the barn and steps inside, moving toward the first horse closest to him. "This handsome fellow right here is Roscoe," he tells her, running one hand along the horse's mane. "He's my favorite out of all the horses here, but don't let the others know that. They're pretty sensitive about it and might get jealous."

Skye raises a brow. "Are you serious right now?"

He looks at her and nods. "Yeah. Completely." Grant beckons her over with a hand, the other still resting on the horse. "Come here."

Skye takes a small step back, her hands going up and her head shaking. "Uh, no thanks, farm boy. I'm good right where I am."

"Skye, come here."

"You know, I'm not really feeling it today," she tells him, taking another small step back. "I'll uh, I'll just stick to the chores you've been having me do every afternoon."

He pauses when realization dawns on him. "Wait a minute. Are you scared of horses?" he asks her.

"What? No." She scoffs and shakes her head defiantly, folding her arms across her chest. "Absolutely, I am not."

"Didn't you do a movie once where you were riding a horse through the woods?"

"That wasn't actually me," she informs him. "It was my stunt double."

"But there were close-ups of your face while on the horse."

"It's called movie magic. I was on an animatronic horse for those shots, not a real one."

"So you've never actually been near a real horse? Let alone ridden one?"

Skye shakes her head. "Nope."

"Oh, well we can definitely fix that."

"What do you mean?"

He grins. "I'm going to teach you how to ride a horse."

Skye's eyes go wide. "What?"

"I'm going to teach you how to ride a horse," he repeats.

"Yeah, no, I heard you the first time. But part of me is trying to process that you actually said it."

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad."

"You know, I think I'm still good right here in this spot, I don't need to learn to ride a horse."

"What if there's another movie where you have to ride a horse?" he asks her.

"My stunt double did it once, she'll do it again."

"You are ridiculous, you know that?"

She just shrugs.

Grant chuckles and shakes his head before looking at the horse next to him, running his hands along the horse's mane again and then down its back.

Skye shifts on her feet, her brows furrowed together. "There is no way in hell you're getting me up on that horse."

.

.

.

"I can't believe you got me up on this horse." Skye sits stock still in the saddle, her hands maintaining a death grip on the reigns that Grant handed to her just moments before.

"I'm very persuasive," Grant says with a small smile.

Skye rolls her eyes. "More like very annoying."

"Oh, you know you love it."

"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, farm boy." Skye's silent for a moment as she takes a few deep breaths, looking around and at the ground below her.

"You okay up there?" Grant asks her.

"Uh, I think so? I mean, it doesn't seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"Lots of things aren't," Grant replies.

Skye nods. "Right. I'm starting to figure that part out."

"Okay. You stay here, I'll be right back." He turns and makes his way back into the barn.

"Wait, where are you going?" Skye calls out to him, her head shooting up to look in the direction he went. "Grant?!"

Her breathing starts to get erratic and she tightens her grip on the reigns to try and stop her hands from shaking. Everything around her starts to get hotter and she can no longer feel the actual horse beneath her, just a numb tingling throughout the lower half of her body.

Grant's voice pulls her out of her head. She looks over to see him watching her with furrowed brows, much like he did that night inside the house.

"Huh?" Her breathing is still sharp, though the feelings have come back to her body.

"I asked if you're okay. You seemed a bit shaken up. Are you scared of horses?"

She shakes her head quickly and swallows. Then she notices the horse he's sitting on.

"You're not gonna lead me around or ride this horse with me?" she asks.

He gives her a small smile. "You're a grown woman, Skye; you can handle riding a horse all on your own. And if something happens, I'll be right here to help."

Skye's eyes go wide and her breath catches, nearly causing her to choke. "Wait, what could happen?"

"Nothing's going to happen," he says, but it does little to ease the growing fear deep in her stomach. "Now do you want to start riding?"

"I don't even know  _how_  to ride," she reminds him.

He nods. "I know. But it's honestly not that hard. You just have to have really good control on the reigns; hold them tight, but not too tight. Make sure the horse knows that you are the one in control, but don't be aggressive."

Skye nods, her breathing starting to slow as she focuses on the reins in her hands. "Right, okay. Sounds easy enough to do. I think. So are we going to go?"

"Do you want to?" he asks her. "Because we don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be fun."

She shakes her head. "No. I want to."

He smiles softly. "Okay. Lightly tap your feet against his sides and gently flick the reigns to get him to move."

Skye takes a slow, deep breath and then carefully hits her feet against the horse's sides as she flicks a little on the reigns.

Grant smiles as the horse slowly moves forward. "There you go." He makes his own horse move forward and follows next to Skye. "Now when you want to turn, you just lightly tug on the reigns, either right or left, and let your horse do the rest."

"Okay," Skye says slowly. "Do I...do I turn now?"

"Well, I think that depends on where you want to go," Grant says, switching the reigns over into just one hand.

"I don't know where I want to go!" Skye shrieks. "You're the one who made me get on this damn horse, and I still don't really know anything about this property besides the path I take Max on for his walk, so I don't know where to go from here and I just—why are you holding your reigns with only hand?! Do I have to do that too? I can't do that."

"Relax, Skye, this is a strictly advanced technique. I've been riding horses pretty much since I could walk; I know what I'm doing. You don't have to hold the reins like this just quite yet. You're fine just how you are right now."

She takes another deep breath. "Okay, okay, right. So uh, so I'm fine just like this? I'm not holding anything wrong? Or sitting wrong?"

He shakes his head with a small smile. "No, you're doing just fine. Trust me."

Skye nods her head. "Okay."

"Great. So, we're going to go down this way a little further and then turn right, so we go in a circle and end up back here. Do you think you can handle that on a horse?"

"I think I can," she replies with a small nod of her head. "Just...just don't let me fall off, okay? I don't think I'll be able to forgive you if you let me fall off."

Grant smiles and laughs quietly. "I'll catch you if you start to fall off."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

.

.

.

Sliding down off the saddle, Skye lets out a breath as she shakes out her hands, taking a moment to let her feet get steady back on the solid ground beneath her.

"Okay, so, horseback riding, not quite as terrifying as I always thought it would be," Skye says, turning to look at Grant.

Grant smiles, gathering up his horse's reins. Skye does the same and they lead the two horses back into the stable.

"I was really hoping you'd say that," he tells her as they make their way inside.

"You were?"

He nods. "Definitely. I was hoping you'd discover at least one thing that you like to do other than getting drunk while you're staying here. Now you've discovered that horseback riding isn't too bad, so you're more than welcome to come out here and ride whenever you feel like it after you get back to the city."

"Seriously?"

Grant nods. "Yeah. And if you ever have to ride a horse again for a movie, you can at least do the basics by yourself now. That's a bonus right there."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"And who knows, maybe there'll be something else out here that you find you like that you wouldn't have thought you would."

Skye scoffs. "Yeah, keep dreaming, farm boy. I still much prefer the city life."

Grant chuckles quietly, moving over to one of the pens to unlock the door and lead his horse inside.

"So you've really been riding horses since you were a kid?" she asks him, walking over to another pen with the horse she'd been riding.

He nods. "Mm-hmm. My entire childhood was filled with horseback riding, running around the field and playing all day during the summer, feeding the chickens, hanging out with all the animals, and bonfires at night with my grandparents."

"That sounds really nice," Skye tells him, opening the pen door and guiding her horse inside.

"I bet you had a fun childhood too, though."

She closes the pen door and turns around to lean back against it, casually crossing her arms over her chest. "If you consider going through puberty on screen for all of America to see, and having nearly every aspect of your life from the time you were a kid plastered on every social media site and gossip magazine fun, then yeah, it was tons of fun."

Grant frowns. "Oh, wow. I uh, I never even considered how invasive it must have been for you growing up in the spotlight."

She pulls her lips in tight. "Most people don't. They just assume that because I've been an actor almost my entire life that I don't care about privacy in my day to day life either. People are always hounding me about different things about my life and sometimes...sometimes it really sucks."

"I'm really sorry."

She shakes her head. "Don't be. You didn't do anything."

"Still, it doesn't sound like that'd be any fun."

She shrugs. "It wasn't all bad all the time. Especially when I first started acting as a kid. I made a lot of friends over the years, most of which won't really speak to me anymore. Honestly, I'm not too surprised, though. We kind of grew apart after the show I was on ended and we all started going our different ways."

"That's too bad."

She shrugs again. "That's just how it is in Hollywood. You don't always stay in touch with everyone you work with. Sometimes there's a tweet here or there to congratulate them on a new project, or something said reminiscently in an interview, but it rarely goes past that."

He takes a deep breath and shifts on his feet. "Well, if you ever need to get away for a little while once you get back to LA, I meant what I said before, you're always welcome to come here, even if I'm not around."

She gives him a small, genuine smile. "Thanks. I'll definitely keep that in mind."

He smiles back. "Good." He takes a deep breath. "So, now that we've found out that you like horseback riding, why don't we go inside and I can fix us up a snack to re-energize before finishing up the rest of today's work?"

"I think I'm going to get a quick shower in while you do that," Skye tells him. She pulls a little at her t-shirt. "Does horseback riding always make you feel so sweaty and gross?"

Grant chuckles. "Especially during the summer months."

Skye groans. "Great." She turns and makes her way out of the barn to head back up to the house.

Grant laughs quietly to himself and then follows after her, sliding the door to the barn closed after making sure the horses are all alright.

.

.

.

"Tell me something."

Skye looks up from her food to see Grant looking at her, his head tilted to the side as he holds his sandwich in one hand.

"What?"

"Anything," he says. "Tell me something about you that nobody knows. You've been here for a little while and I don't know much about you except for what's printed in the magazines and on the gossip sites. And there's a large part of me that thinks that's not entirely true about who you really are."

"Some of it is," she tells him. "The stuff about my family and how I got started in acting, that's mostly true."

Grant quirks a brow. "Mostly true?"

"There might be a few details that I've never told people for one reason or another, but for the most part it's true."

"And those details would be?"

She shakes her head. "Forget it, farm boy. I'm not telling you. That is strictly level ten friendship information and we're not quite there yet."

"So what level friendship are we, then?"

Skye tilts her head. "Hmm. I'd say maybe a two or three. Possibly a four, but only time will tell."

He laughs quietly. "Right, of course. But seriously, what can you tell me about yourself that nobody else knows? Not even your diehard fans."

"I have this little hula doll," she tells him after a minute of thinking, "one of the kinds that you stick on the dashboard of your car, and I used to rub it every day when I was little like a genie's lamp before I went into work for good luck. I found it at some pawn shop or something when I was really little working on one of my first movies and I begged my parents to get it for me. I actually haven't messed with it in years. Not since my show ended, I think."

"Wow."

She nods. "Yeah, I know. Really dorky."

He shakes his head. "No, it's not." He relents at the looks she gives him. "Okay, okay, so maybe it's a little dorky, but it's also real. It's who you are."

"It's just a random little doll," she tells him.

"But it's special to you," he replies. "And it's nice to know you haven't lost that part of you despite everything else that's going on in your life. Even if you haven't touched it in years, it's still there."

Skye tilts her head and smiles at him. "You know, I think my friend Jemma would really like you."

"Yeah?"

She nods. "Yeah."

"Did you two work on a movie together?"

Skye shakes her head. "She's not an actress. I actually met her when I was in London once to work on a movie. I think I was about twelve or thirteen. She didn't treat me like I was famous, just like I was a person, and we had an instant friendship. Not long after we met, she moved here to the States because one of her parents got a really good job opportunity and she's been my best friend ever since."

"That's good."

"Yeah. She's pretty awesome. She's the only one who's ever really stuck by me through all the stupid stuff I've done."

"And that's a true friend. I'm glad you have someone like that. Must make being in the spotlight a little bit easier."

Skye shrugs. "She works a lot. And so do I. Well, I used to. Now it's mostly partying and drinking. So we don't get to hang out very often."

"At least she's there when you need her, though, right?"

Skye nods. "Yeah, I guess." She takes a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna get a jump start on some of those afternoon chores."

"Yeah, okay. I'll uh, I'll clean up here and then meet you outside."

"Great. I'll see you out there." She stands from her seat and turns around, making her way out the back door, leaving Grant alone at the table with only his thoughts to keep him company. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. This one was pretty fun to write.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Skye! Come here! Quick!"

Immediately dropping what she's doing outside when she hears the shout, she goes barreling across the yard. Her mind instantly lands on the worst-case scenario of what could be happening to Grant. The last thing she wants to happen is for him to get seriously injured by an animal or piece of equipment when Kebo isn't around to help him. She doesn't know how to take care of serious injuries, especially ones that can come about on a farm. That is not what she needs today. Not at all. She's been getting better at doing the chores the last few days. So that's all she wants to do. Not worry about any injuries.

She darts quickly across the field and into the open stable where the shout came from, skidding to a stop just inside the doors. Her eyes move back and forth rapidly, looking for the man who called out to her just moments before.

"Grant?"

"Hey. Over here. Last stall on the left."

She quickly makes her way down the row of horse stalls, stopping at the last one and peering inside over the top of the locked gate.

"What's going on?" she asks him, breathing heavily from running as she leans on the wooden frame.

"You're about to witness the miracle of life."

Her eyes go wide and her hands tighten around the wood. "I'm sorry, what?"

Grant glances up at her with a smile. "Evelyn here is about to give birth. And you're staying to watch it happen."

She scoffs. "Like hell I am."

"Skye, come on. I promise you'll be fine right where you are. The stuff you consider gross happens over here."

She huffs. "Fine. But I'll just have you know, this is probably going to be the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed in my life up to this point."

"It's magical," he tells her, shifting a little on his knees and smiling up at her. "I've seen so many live animal births over the years and each one is just as amazing as the last."

"See, this all just makes you seem crazier than I already thought you were," she remarks.

"Thanks for that," he replies.

She smiles. "You're welcome."

Grant shifts on his knees again. "I think it's almost time. Just breath, Evelyn, breath girl." He rubs a hand across her back in a comforting manner. "You're doing great."

"How long is this going to take?" Skye asks him, standing up a little taller to peer over the gate again in curiosity. She tilts her head a little as she watches.

"If everything goes well, not too long," he tells her. "Her water already broke, so now it's just a matter of making sure the foal gets out safely and is healthy."

She nods. "Right. And do you have to be...you know...so close?" she asks him, gesturing to how close he's sitting to the horse's backside.

He nods. "Yeah. I need to be able to make sure the delivery is going well and that neither the mare or the foal is in distress and that nothing is going wrong."

"Okay, yeah, I guess that makes sense. It's just kind of gross."

"You get kind of used to that after a while," he tells her.

"I think I'll just take your word for it right now."

She shifts on her feet and leans against the wall of the enclosure, staying silent as she watches the scene in front of her, a scene she honestly never thought she'd be witness to.

Before she can really register what exactly is happening, Grant's moving back away from the mare and the next thing she sees is a small, baby horse emerging and landing on the hay that's covering the floor.

"Skye."

"Yeah?"

"Hand me that."

"What?"

"The suction," he says, pointing to an object lying near him. "Hand it to me, quick."

Skye quickly opens the gate and grabs hold of the suction, handing it over to Grant. She stands back and watches as he clears out the foal's sinuses, allowing it to breathe easier.

Once he's done, he moves back, gathering up all the items he brought with him and exits the stall, being sure to lock the gate behind him.

"So, how are you feeling right now?" Grant asks as he wipes off his hands on a rag while coming to stand next to her, glancing over at the two horses lying comfortably together in the stall.

"Well, my lunch hasn't come back up yet after all of this, so that's a good sign, I guess."

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, but it was."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

Grant chuckles quietly. "Alright. Whatever you say, Rookie."

"So how often do you actually do this?" Skye asks him, shifting on her feet. "Stick your hand so close to their backsides and help the baby animals come out, I mean."

"Not as often as you're probably imagining," he tells her. "I mean, I've done it a few times over the years, but not a lot."

"Right. And are there any more pregnant animals around here that I need to know about?"

He shakes his head. "No, there aren't."

"Good. And I still can't believe you made me help you."

"Hey, at least you didn't have to stick your hand up inside the mare."

Skye's eyes go wide. "Wait, people actually do that?"

He nods. "If the foal is situated wrong, then yes. Luckily for us, the foal was positioned correctly and was able to come out smooth and easy."

"Yeah, lucky us." She shifts on her feet again, leaning against the fence more to watch the horses interact with each other.

"You don't have to stay out here," he tells her, pulling her attention away from the horses. "I'll be out here for a little bit longer to make sure they're both doing okay and to wait for the placenta to come out. But you don't need to stay if you don't want to."

She shrugs. "I don't mind."

He gives her a small smile. "Okay."

Conversation flows easily between them as they stand watch over the mare and the foal, making sure they're okay. They talk about anything that comes to mind. Nothing is off limits in that moment, they just talk without worrying. She's never been able to talk to anyone this easily, to just be herself without having to put on an act or a facade to appease fans or interviewers. Sometimes she's even a little guarded when she talks to Jemma, even though she claims the other woman to be her best friend.

With Grant, she can say whatever she wants about anything and he just listens while chiming in with his own thoughts. She doesn't worry about saying the wrong thing, or accidentally offending him. It's nice.

"There's something I've been wondering," Skye speaks up, shifting her stance against the pen so she can look at him better.

"What's that?"

"How do you know Nick? I mean, I'm pretty sure Nick doesn't leave LA too often, so I'm very curious as to how he knows you."

"I don't actually know him too well," Grant admits. "He knew my Gramsy, though. I'm not quite sure how, but they knew each other."

She nods. "Ah."

"Yeah. And I'm assuming he's close with your family?"

"He's one of my dad's closest friends and my godfather. Most people see him as this big, intimidating movie exec, but in reality, he's just a giant teddy bear. At least, with me he is."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah. He's pretty cool. What about your family?" she asks him.

"What about them?"

"Who all is there? I know you said you have a niece and two nephews."

He nods his head. "That I do. They're my older sister's kids."

"And your sister's name is…"

"Amanda. I also have two brothers, one older and one younger, Joey and Andy. But I don't really talk to either of them anymore. I kind of had a bit of a falling out with Joey, and Andy's off traveling somewhere and doesn't really keep in touch that much anymore."

"I'm sorry about that," she tells him honestly. "But at least you have siblings. Growing up an only child isn't nearly as much fun as most people think it would be. I mean, yeah, I had all my parent's attention, when they weren't working, but it also got kind of lonely sometimes."

"Do you think maybe that's part of the reason why you acted out?" he asks her.

She shrugs. "Maybe. I think it was probably a mix of things."

He nods. "Right."

They continue to talk about whatever comes to mind as they watch the mare and the foal interact with each other.

Eventually, the placenta is delivered and once Grant starts trying to explain the next steps that need to be taken, that's when Skye makes her exit, assuring him that she'll be up extra early to do her daily chores, and goes back inside the house to turn in for the night after finishing up what she was doing before she went into the stables.

.

.

.

"Goodnight," Skye calls into the living room where Grant is sitting on the couch as she makes her way into her bedroom from the bathroom.

"Goodnight."

Closing her door tightly, she deposits her clothes into her suitcase and then finishes getting herself ready for bed.

Pulling the covers down on the bed, she climbs in and pulls the blanket back, tucking it in around her body.

Shifting a little on her bed, Skye grabs the notebook out of the nightstand drawer next to her bed and pulls it into her lap.

Opening the cover of it, she flips to the next empty page and quickly scribbles the date across the upper right-hand corner.

Letting out a breath, she leans back and pulls the notebook closer, putting the pen back to the page to write.

_Witnessed a live animal birth today. That's something I've never done before._

_It was for one of the horses on the farm. I think her name's Evelyn? I thought it was going to be gross, and it kind of was, but at the same time, it was kind of cool. I'm never going to admit that, though. Grant doesn't need to know he was right._

_I think I did a movie once that had an animal birth in it, but they filmed it at a different time than the scenes I filmed and then cut them together. People thought I actually witnessed that. But I didn't. Now I can say that I have, though._

_It was definitely interesting. And in complete honesty, I really don't think I'd mind too much if I had to see that kind of thing again. It wasn't the worst thing, and I wasn't right there at the horse's backside like Grant was. That's not really my type of thing, but hey, if he's cool with it, then okay._

_Kind of tired because I've been working pretty hard all day, but I honestly don't think I mind too much. It's actually kind of nice to be able to be outside all the time and get fresh air instead of being either holed up in my house avoiding paparazzi, or on a film set, or at another Hollywood party._

_This lifestyle is definitely not the worst thing I've ever experienced. Grant doesn't need to know that, though._

Closing the notebook, she sets it and the pen off to the side and then settles down under the covers of her bed.

Breathing in deeply, she lets her body relax as she closes her eyes and lets sleep overtake her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. I have work in a little while and have some time before I have to get ready so I thought I'd update this story for you all.
> 
> Enjoy!

Hearing a loud knock at the front door, Grant closes the book he'd been reading, stands from the couch and makes his way over to the door.

Pulling it open, he smiles when he sees the three young kids standing in front of him, excited smiles on all three of their faces.

"Uncle Grant!" All three kids shout together and then immediately attack him with hugs as they step across the threshold.

Grant stumbles on his feet before regaining his balance, hugging his niece and nephews and dropping kisses to the tops of their heads.

"How are you guys?" he asks them as he steps back to let the kids and his sister further inside the house.

"Good," the oldest boy speaks up, glancing around the room. "Where's Max?"

"He's out back. Why don't you all go on outside and see what he's up to?"

"Come on," the oldest boy says to his younger siblings and then the three kids take off running through the house for the back door.

Grant chuckles and then turns to the raven-haired woman standing just inside the door, having set the kids' belongings at her feet. "Mandy, how are you?" He steps forward to pull her into a hug.

She hugs him back. "I'm good, Dougie. The kids are just driving us a little insane right now. Thank you so much for letting them stay here for the night. We really, really need a night off."

Grant smiles. "It's no problem. You know I love having them here. And they love helping out with the animals so it's no problem."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. If only I could get the boys to do their chores at home like they do here."

"I'll be sure to talk to them about that."

"Thanks." Amanda takes a deep breath. "Okay, so, please don't let them stay up too late; I don't care if it's summer now. Ethan will probably beg you to let him stay up but you just have to be firm with him. Caleb is going through this whole 'no eating vegetables' thing, so good luck with that. I've tried everything. And Kate, well, she's four."

Grant smiles. "Yes, she is."

"Uncle Grant."

Grant looks down to see Kate standing right next to him, her big brown eyes watching him carefully. "Speaking of my favorite niece ever." He smiles and leans down to lift her onto his hip, tickling her sides, making the little girl giggle. He presses a kiss to her cheek before looking back at his sister. "We'll be fine, Mandy. We always are. Right, Katie?"

Kate nods her head once. "Right."

Amanda smiles. "If you insist. Give me a kiss, baby girl."

Kate leans forward out of Grant's arms to hug her mom around the neck and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sure Ethan and Caleb are too busy playing with Max to come and say goodbye. So just let them know I left."

Grant nods. "Will do. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, bye." Amanda smiles and waves at them before turning and making her way back outside, down the porch, and to her car.

"Well, little miss Katie," Grant speaks up once he closes the front door and locks it. "Should we go outside and see what your brothers are up to?"

"They're running 'round with Max," Kate tells him.

"Do you want to go out and run around with them too?" he asks his niece.

Kate shrugs. "I guess."

Grant chuckles. "Alright, come on." He turns around and makes his way through the house and out into the backyard. "Hey guys," he calls out to his nephews. "What are you doing?"

"Playing fetch with Max," Caleb answers.

"Do you want to go play with them, Katie?" Grant asks his niece as he moves over to one of the lawn chairs.

She shakes her head. "No. I wanna stay with you."

Grant smiles and presses a kiss to her temple, adjusting her in his lap so she's more comfortable, smiling when she leans back against him. "So," Grant takes a deep breath, "what do I need to be caught up on?"

"I'm working on a new merit badge for Scouts," Ethan tells his Uncle. "I almost have it."

"What's the badge for?" Grant asks.

"I don't remember," Ethan replies, grabbing a stick and tossing it across the yard for Max. "Something outside, I think."

"Well I'm sure you'll get it in no time," Grant tells him with a smile. "What about you, Caleb? What's new?"

Caleb thinks for a moment. "Um, I have the highest score for reading at Summer School right now."

"That's awesome, Caleb. I know how much you were struggling with that. And what's new with you, little miss Kate?" Grant looks down at his niece.

Katie shrugs. "Dunno."

"Well there has to be something," he says in a playful voice.

"I love you," Katie says with a small smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Grant smiles. "Thanks, Katie. But that's not really news."

"Hey, Grant? I can't seem to find—oh, who are these cuties?"

Grant looks toward the back of the house to see Skye approaching them, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head. His breath catches a little in his throat but he quickly shakes it off.

He smiles up at her. "Hey."

She smiles back. "Hey. So, are you going to introduce me?"

"Right, of course. Skye, these are my niece and nephews. Ethan, Caleb, and Kate. Kids, this is Skye. She's been staying here with me for the past few months."

"Princess Daisy," Kate says quietly, her eyes wide and completely fixed on Skye.

"What was that, sweetie?" Skye asks.

"Princess Daisy," Grant repeats for Skye. "The movie where you play Princess Daisy is her absolute favorite. She watches it constantly."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Skye says with a smile. "What's your favorite part of that movie?" she asks the little girl.

"Katie, you need to answer her, don't be rude," Grant tells his niece when she doesn't respond. "Tell her what your favorite part of Princess Daisy's movie is."

"When you beat up all the bad men who tried to take you away from your mommy and daddy," Kate responds quietly.

Skye smiles and whispers, "That was my favorite part too."

Kate breaks into a grin and then leans forward out of Grant's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around Skye's neck.

Skye stumbles a bit but regains her balance, hugging Kate back and smiling at Grant.

"You two are being unusually quiet," Grant says to his two nephews. "What's going on over there?"

Both boys are standing completely still, not moving or speaking, despite Max nudging their small bodies, trying to get them to play with him again.

"Nothing," Ethan replies. "We're fine, Uncle Grant."

"I didn't ask if you were fine. I asked what's going on because you two are never this quiet. It's a little unnerving, to be honest." He takes a deep breath. "But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is what we're going to do for lunch."

"Can we have grilled cheese?" Ethan asks.

"Only if you have some fruits and vegetables with it," Grant replies.

"Will Skye make mine?" Kate asks.

Skye gives her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sweetie. I would if I could. But I'm not really the best cook."

"Uncle Grant can teach you. He's the bestest at makin grilled cheese."

Grant smiles. "Thanks for the praise, Katie. Now, let's all go inside and I'll get the grilled cheese started for us."

"Come on, Skye," Kate says, sliding out of Grant's lap and grabbing hold of Skye's hand. "We can play 'til Uncle Grant finishes the samwiches." She drags the older woman along behind her into the house.

Skye looks over her shoulder and shoots Grant a look as she gets dragged along.

Grant just shrugs and smiles. He looks over at his nephews. "Alright, who wants to help me make the sandwiches and who wants to set the table?"

"Caleb got to help make them last time," Ethan says. "So now it's my turn."

"Then Caleb is setting the table," Grant says. "That work for both of you?" Both boys nod. "Great. Let's go." He turns to make his way into the house, Ethan and Caleb following right behind him.

.

.

.

"Alright, kiddos." Grant claps his hands once as he makes his way into the living room. "It is now time for bed."

"Do we have to?" Ethan asks. "It's summer."

"Yes, you do. Your mom said so."

"She doesn't have to know," Ethan counters.

"Mommy always knows," Kate speaks up from her spot on the floor with Max.

"No, she doesn't," Ethan protests.

"Yes she does," Kate insists.

"Okay, that's enough," Grant intervenes before it can get out of hand. "Go brush your teeth, get your pajamas on and meet me in your room. I'll be right there to read to you."

"Can Skye read the story?" Kate asks.

"What about me?" Grant replies. "Aren't I the one who usually reads you a story?"

Kate shrugs. "I want Skye to do it."

"Then you'll have to ask her," Grant says.

Kate moves across the room to where Skye is and stands in front of her, resting her hands on Skye's knees. She looks Skye straight in the eyes. "Will you read me a story tonight?"

Skye lets a small smile grow on her lips. "I'd love to."

Kate grins. "Yay! I'm gonna get my jammas on and you meet me in my room."

"Got it." Skye nods with a smile.

Kate moves away from Skye and heads straight to the bathroom upstairs to change and brush her teeth.

"You boys too," Grant says to his nephews. "Get moving."

"Yes, Uncle Grant," both boys reply, standing up and heading up the stairs.

"Sorry you got stuck on story duty tonight," Grant apologizes to Skye once the boys are out of earshot.

"It's fine," Skye tells him, standing up from the couch.

"I really should have expected this. Katie's pretty much obsessed with you. Besides me, her parents, and her brothers, you're probably her favorite person."

"Grant, I said it's fine. I really don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

Skye nods. "I'm sure. I have no problem reading to them."

"That's great. Because Katie would probably be heartbroken if you changed your mind."

"Well, I am definitely not the type who would willingly break a four-year-old's heart. That's just way too cruel of a thing to do."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"Skyeeee!"

"That sounds like your cue," Grant tells her.

"Just upstairs?" she asks, slowly moving toward the stairway.

Grant nods. "Second door on the left."

"Awesome." Skye turns and continues her way up the stairs and then down the hallway.

"Did someone call for me?" she asks when she reaches the room.

"Skye!" Kate exclaims from her small bed. "Over here."

Skye smiles and walks across the room to where Kate is, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So, what's the story for tonight?" she asks.

" _Chamber of Secrets,_ " Kate tells her.

Skye furrows her brows. "As in Harry Potter?"

Kate nods her head eagerly and holds the book up to Skye. "Yeah."

"Wow. It's been forever since I've opened up a  _Harry Potter_  book."

"You like  _Harry Potter_?" Caleb asks.

Skye looks over at him and nods with a small smile. "Mm-hmm. I always had one of the books with me to read on set between breaks of my old show."

"I've read all of them twice," Ethan says proudly. "They're the best."

Skye nods. "That they are." She takes a deep breath and settles down next to Kate, the young girl immediately curling up beside her, resting her head on her chest.

Skye smiles at the gesture before focusing her attention on the book in her lap, letting herself get absorbed in the familiar magical world.

.

.

.

"How'd it go?" Grant asks Skye when she enters the living room again.

"Pretty well, actually," she replies, falling down next to him on the couch. "Didn't take very long for them to fall asleep once I started reading."

"It never usually does. Ethan and Caleb like to say that they can stay up late, but they usually fall asleep pretty quickly."

She tilts her head to look at him. "You're really good with them, did you know that?"

Grant shrugs. "I guess."

She pulls herself up a little more. "I'm serious, Grant. You're great with them. They actually listen to you. I don't think even I listened that well when I was their age, which is understandable when you consider how I turned out."

"Hey, you didn't turn out that bad," he tells her. "You just hit a rough patch in your life and career."

Skye lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, a rough patch that's been going on for years that I can't seem to get out of."

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine to me."

"That's because there's no cameras and paparazzi or any alcohol around here. I'm usually pretty weak when it comes to alcohol. If I'm being completely honest, I'm a little nervous about going back and that I'll just fall into old habits and screw up the progress I've made while I've been out here."

"Going back?" Grant asks.

Skye nods. "Yeah. I mean, I'm obviously not going to stay here forever. Because that's kind of a little crazy. I have a life in LA, and hopefully still a job. I mean, it's been nice staying here, don't get me wrong, but eventually, I'm going to go back."

Grant's jaw hardens at her words and he nods. "Right, yeah."

Skye furrows her brows. "What, did you think I was going to be here forever?"

"I never said that. I'm going to bed." He stands from the couch and starts making his way toward the stairs, Max right beside him. "Turn the lights off before you turn in."

Skye sighs and sinks down into her seat on the couch, turning her head to stare out the window at the darkness outside. She was always going to leave, that was always the plan. So why did he seem so upset when she brought it up?

Letting out another, heavier, sigh, Skye stands from the couch and moves down the hallway toward her bedroom, exhausted from the day and ready to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! We're getting close to the end here, only a few more chapters left. Thanks for sticking around. :)  
> Also, I guess you could call this chapter a pretty pivotal moment for our two characters, and you'll see why soon enough.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Skye! Can you get the front door, please?" Grant calls from within the kitchen.

Standing from her bed, Skye sighs and makes her way out of the room, down the hallway and toward the front of the house. She tosses Max a quick smile as she passes the dog lounging in the living room.

She pulls open the door when she reaches it, finding a familiar looking woman standing on the other side. It clicks after a few seconds that she recognizes the woman from some of the photos on the walls of the house. She definitely looks a lot like Grant, that's for sure.

"Wow. It really is you," the woman says, pulling Skye out of her head.

She smiles kindly at the woman. "You must be Amanda, Grant's sister."

Amanda nods. "That is me. And you're Skye."

"I am."

"Wow."

Skye laughs quietly. "Yeah, you kinda said that already."

Amanda smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It's just, you're my daughter's favorite actress. I've only ever seen your face on my TV screen or phone and now you're standing here right in front of me. I can only imagine how Katie must have felt."

Skye smiles. "She was pretty attached to me once she realized who I was yesterday."

"I'm sorry if she was a little much for you."

Skye shakes her head. "No, don't worry, it was fine. She's a sweet girl."

Amanda smiles proudly. "She most definitely is."

"Mommy!"

"There's my girl," Amanda says with a smile as Kate runs through the house toward her.

Skye watches with a smile on her face as the mother and daughter embrace in a tight hug.

"I missed you, mommy."

"I missed you too, Katie. Did you have fun with your uncle Grant?"

Kate nods. "The most fun ever. And mommy, guess what?"

"What?"

She leans in and tries to whisper. "Uncle Grant knows Princess Daisy."

Amanda smiles and laughs quietly. "I know. That must have been really fun to hang out with her."

"So much. She's the best. She even read to us last night for bedtime."

Amanda looks up at Skye and she gives the mother a small shrug. "It was  _Harry Potter._ And besides, how could someone say no to such a cute face?" She reaches out and cups Kate's chin in her hand, smiling sweetly at her.

"Oh, it's definitely possible," Amanda says, shifting Kate on her hip.

"Mommy always says no," Kate tells Skye.

"I don't always say no," Amanda defends herself to her daughter. "Just when you're doing something you're not supposed to, or when you want something you can't have."

"Hi, mom."

"There are my boys, " Amanda says with a smile, pulling the two boys into a hug when they get closer to her. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Yeah," Ethan says. "Let me grab my stuff, though."

"Okay. We'll be right here."

Ethan turns and walks back out of the room toward the bedroom the kids were using last night.

"Mommy, I wanna get down," Kate tells her mom.

"Okay, sweetie." Amanda loosens her hold on her daughter, allowing the young girl to slide down to the floor. She leans back against her mom's legs as they all wait for Ethan to return. Amanda reaches down and runs a hand down over her daughter's head. "I hope they were good for you," she says to her brother as he enters the room.

"They were as they usually are," he replies. "They helped out with the animals and really only argued once when it was time for bed."

"Of course they did," she says with a sigh. "When isn't there an argument between them?"

"I have the bag," Ethan announces as he enters the hallway again, struggling just a bit to carry their overnight bag.

Amanda smiles at her son. "You good there, Ethan?"

He nods. "Yeah. I've got it."

"Alright, time to go, then," Amanda says to her three children, gesturing to the open door behind her. "Everybody to the car."

Ethan and Caleb make their way out to the car parked outside, after giving Grant and Skye each a hug, Ethan carrying the bag out with him.

"Katie, that means you too," Amanda says to her daughter.

"I don't wanna leave." Kate frowns as she stands with her arms crossed over her chest.

Grant steps forward and kneels down in front of his niece. "I know you don't, Katie. But you have to."

"I wanna stay with you and Skye."

"But your mom and dad will be sad if you don't go home," Skye pipes in, trying to assist with the current situation. She takes a few small steps toward the little girl. "And you still get to see your Uncle Grant all the time even though you don't live here, right?"

Kate nods. "Yeah."

"Well then even when I go back to my home, all the way in Los Angeles, I'll still make an effort to see you and your brothers as much as I can. How does that sound to you?"

"Um, good."

Skye smiles. "I'm glad you said that. Now come here and give me the biggest hug you can."

Kate steps forward and wraps her arms tightly around Skye's neck, burying her face in the older woman's hair.

When she pulls away, Skye smiles sweetly at her. "See, that wasn't a 'goodbye forever' hug. It was an 'I'll see you soon' hug. Because I don't think there's any possible way that I could stay away from you. You're my biggest fan, right?"

Kate nods. "Yeah, I am. And I'm your best friend too."

Skye smiles. "Well I think you'll have to talk to my friend Jemma about taking that title from her, but I'm sure she won't mind sharing it."

"Okay."

"Good. Now you better go and join your brothers in the car, okay? But say bye to your uncle first."

Kate steps around her and walks over to Grant, hugging him around the legs. "I love you, Uncle Grant."

Geant hugs her back and kisses the top of her head. "I love you too, Katie. I'll see you later."

Kate pulls out of the hug and smiles up at him before moving to the door and out to the car.

"Wow, you're really great with kids," Amanda says to Skye once Kate is out of earshot. "It would have taken me forever to get her out of that mopey state."

Skye shrugs. "It was nothing. I really haven't worked with kids too often, so I honestly was just winging it, hoping I wouldn't make things worse."

"Well, I'm certainly glad that you didn't."

"Me too. And it was really great to meet you, by the way. Grant's talked about you before, but it was nice to actually get to talk to you instead of just hearing about you."

"I'm glad we met as well," Amanda tells her. "Hopefully we'll see each other again."

Skye smiles and nods. "I think I'd really like that."

"Great. I should probably get going before my kids get restless. Bye, Dougie," she says, peering around Skye to smile at her brother. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Mandy. See you soon."

"Yeah, bye." She gives them both one last smile before turning and making her way out of the house and down toward her car where her kids are waiting.

"Those kids are, hands down, some of the cutest kids I've ever met," Skye tells Grant after she closes the door, leaning back against it.

Grant smiles. "Yeah?"

She nods. "Oh yeah. I've met a lot of kids over the course of my career, and the last couple of years, I've never met any kids as cute as those three." She gestures over her shoulder with her thumb.

"They are pretty great. I definitely lucked out in the niece and nephews department."

She smiles at him. "You certainly did."

"Hey, do you maybe want to watch a movie or something?" he asks her out of the blue, causing her brows to furrow.

"What?"

He rubs at the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie. I don't have a lot of options, I think most of them are kids movies, but I might have something we could both enjoy. I just figured you've been working hard lately, it might be nice to just relax for a couple of hours."

She shifts on her feet, subconsciously biting her bottom lip between her teeth. "Um, yeah, sure, that'd be great."

He smiles. "Great. I'm uh, I'm just going to go use the bathroom real quick. If you want to pick out a movie, they're in the cabinet below the tv."

She nods. "I will do that." She smiles at him, watching as he walks down the hall before turning toward the TV, taking a deep breath as her heart rate starts to pick up.

.

.

.

Stepping back into the living room after using the bathroom, Grant's brows furrow when he sees Skye sitting up against one of the walls in the living room, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head down in her lap. Max is sitting beside her, his head tilted as his body leans into hers.

He rushes toward her, stopping with a bit of space between them and immediately crouching down to get to her level.

"Good job, boy," he says quietly to Max, giving the dog a small smile before focusing his attention on the brunette. "Skye? Skye, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

She shakes her head quickly, her eyes shut tight and her breathing heavy. She pulls her legs in tighter and buries her head further in them.

"Skye," he says softly but firmly. "Skye, I need you to listen to me, okay? Focus on me, just focus on my voice." He waits a beat. "I need you to tell me five things you can see."

Her head lifts slowly, her eyes closed halfway and a deep frown on her face. "What?"

"Open your eyes all the way and tell me five things you can see."

"Why…?"

"Just do it, please."

"Um…your shoes, the lamp in the corner…the couch, the tv...and the coffee table."

He nods with a small hint of a smile on his face. "That's good. Now tell me four things you can feel right now."

"M-my legs," she says, her hands rubbing subconsciously against her thighs. "The floor...um…uh, the wall, and Max. I can feel Max."

"Okay. Now tell me three things you can hear."

"The uh, the fridge. Kebo shouting outside. And your voice."

He smiles. "Alright. Now, what about two things you can smell."

"The cows. And the scented candle on the table."

"And finally, tell me one thing you can taste."

Her brows furrow a little deeper and she tilts her head. "Mint. From my toothpaste."

He smiles. "Good, that's good." He scoots a little closer to her now that she seems to be much calmer than she was a couple of minutes ago. "How do you feel?"

"Um, weird. But better, I think. How did you...how did you do that?"

He shrugs. "I knew someone growing up who had anxiety attacks too, a kid I went to school with."

Her brows furrow. "What? What are you talking about?"

He shifts on his feet. "I think you had an anxiety attack, Skye," he admits to her. "You had me really worried. It took me a second to realize what was happening."

She shakes her head. "I don't...I don't have anxiety attacks."

"You didn't sound too convincing there," he says with a small smile. "I think...I think maybe you should talk to somebody, to get a professionals opinion on all of this."

"You do?"

He nods. "Yeah. And there's a great guy in town that I think could really help you figure out exactly what's going on. I can set an appointment up for you if you want me to."

"Um, I guess so."

"Great. So, uh, I'll give his office a call and see if he can get you in as soon as possible."

She nods. "Okay. Thanks."

He gives her a small smile. "It's not a problem. Are you going to be okay for a few minutes or do you want me to stay in here with you a little longer?"

She takes a deep breath in, her body shuddering just a little. Max shifts against her and she instinctively reaches out to him. "Um, I think I'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll come and check on you after I finish making the call."

She slowly nods and swallows. "Okay."

Grant squeezes her knee reassuringly, a small smile on his face, before standing up from the floor and stepping out of the room. He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and dials the number for the psychiatrist in town.

" _Hello?"_

"Doctor Anderson, it's Grant."

" _Grant, so nice to hear from you."_

"Yeah, it's good to talk to you too. Um, do you have any availabilities sometime tomorrow afternoon?"

" _I might have one or two. Is this about your grandmother again?"_

He shakes his head. "No, I haven't had any issues from that in a while. A friend of mine, she's been staying with me for a while and I think she has some form of anxiety. I was hoping you could talk to her and see if that's actually the case or if I'm just jumping to conclusions."

" _I'd be happy to talk to her."_

"Grant. What times do you have open?"

" _My earliest opening is two in the afternoon. Is that alright?"_

"That should be fine. Thank you."

" _Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Ending the call, Grant slides the phone back into his pocket and walks back into the living room, finding Skye curled up on the couch, her eyes staring out the window across the room. Max is lying next to her with his head in her lap, Skye's fingers buried in the Shepherd's dark fur.

"Skye?" he speaks up hesitantly, not wanting to startle her in case she's far away in her mind.

She turns her head toward him slowly and gives him half a smile. "Hi."

"Hey. How are you feeling? Are you still up for a movie?"

"Um, actually, I think I'll take a rain check on the movie. I'm pretty exhausted so I think I just want to sleep right now."

He nods. "Yeah, no, of course. Whatever you need. We can watch a movie another night, it's no problem."

"Are you sure?" she asks him. "You seemed pretty into the idea."

"But I'm more into you being healthy," he tells her honestly with a small smile. He nods his head in the direction of the hallway. "Go get some sleep."

She smiles back at him, reaching out to cover his hand with hers. "Thank you. Really. I just...thank you."

"No problem. I'm always here for you. I want you to know that. Now stop stalling and go to bed."

She rolls her eyes, while still smiling, and stands up from the couch. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Grant leans back into the couch as he watches Skye walk into the hallway, a pleased smile on his face. He turns his attention to Max as the dog shifts on the couch and rests his head in his owner's lap.

"You did a good job, Max," he says to the dog, rubbing his head affectionately. "You did a really good job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Big shout out to my sister for helping me fix up the scene where Grant calms Skye down. You the best, baby sis. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. It's nearly seven am where I am, and I haven't slept since eight-thirty last night because I took a five-hour nap, so I figured I'd post this for you.
> 
> This one's a pretty good one, I think, as we discover the root of what's been going on with Skye all these years.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lifting his head when he hears the familiar voice, Grant shoots Skye a small, encouraging smile when he sees her stepping out of the psychiatrist's office, Doctor Anderson right behind her, a friendly smile on his face that reaches up to his glasses-covered eyes.

He holds his hand out to keep Max in his spot while they wait for Skye to finish up with the doctor and then join them.

"Again, it was so great to meet you, and I hope that things will really turn around for you now," the doctor says to her. "Promise me you'll call me if you need to when you get back to LA."

She smiles at the doctor. "I will, thank you."

He waits for the doctor to close the door again before standing from his seat and sliding his phone back into his pocket.

"How'd it go?" he asks when she gets over to him, laughing quietly when Max makes a beeline for Skye and nudges her leg with his nose.

She leans down to rub at Max's fur, a small smile on her face at the dogs' sweetness. "Really well, actually. I'll tell you about it in the car. Right now I just want to get back to the house."

His heart skips at Skye's potential slip up calling the farm 'the house', considering she's only ever referred to it as 'the farm' since she arrived. "Okay. Do you need to schedule another appointment with him?"

She shakes her head. "No. He said it's not necessary for a follow up right away, but that I can schedule another appointment with him whenever I need to. And that I can call him whenever I need to talk when I get back to LA."

"Sounds good. Should we go, then?"

She nods. "Yeah, let's go."

They walk out of the building and to the car in a comfortable silence, neither of them needing to say anything quite yet in that moment.

They remain in silence as they pull away from the building, save for Max's content panting as he rides with his head out the window, enjoying the cool breeze.

"So, what exactly did the doctor tell you?" Grant asks Skye once they're back on the main road to the farm, very few other cars passing by them as they go.

"He uh, he said I have severe anxiety," she tells him, her brows furrowed a little as if she's still getting used to the idea. She buries her fingers in Max's fur and he realizes she must be using the dog to keep herself grounded as she talks.

"Wow. Really?"

She nods. "Yeah. So you were right. And I guess it explains a lot about me growing up. I never knew what it was, obviously, but sometimes I'd hit these really rough patches."

"Rough patches how?"

"I don't remember much," she admits, glancing over at him before looking out the window at the passing landscape. "I honestly think I blocked a lot of it out because of how messed up I thought that I was. But I do remember refusing to leave my dressing room sometimes, whenever I'd be working on something, but I could never explain why I didn't want to leave. Just that I'd be fine one minute, and the next I'd be in complete hysterics."

"No one ever thought to have you talk to someone to figure out what was happening?"

She shrugs. "I think most of the time the producers were more concerned about whatever we were filming and getting it done on time instead of how I was feeling. Especially when I was a kid."

"Your parents didn't?"

"They were busy a lot, usually in production meetings or on conference calls. And as I got older I started working later and then I'd go home and crash, or I'd stay at friend's houses a lot when I was younger. And then obviously I moved out once I was old enough."

"So you've just gone your whole life not knowing why you felt how you did?"

She shrugs. "Kind of, yeah. I mean, a couple years ago I started to suspect that it was something out of my control after I read something online. But it's so taboo to talk about stuff like this in Hollywood, that I kind of brushed it off. I guess I just didn't want to be looked at any differently, didn't want to have people treating me like I was going to break at any second if they said or did the wrong thing."

"That can't have been easy to shoulder that all on your own."

She shrugs. "That's what alcohol is for."

His brows furrow. "What?"

"Doctor Anderson thinks that one of the reasons why I was always drinking is because it helped me to get through my anxiety attacks. It kind of numbed my senses, but in a different way from actual anxiety."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Right? I mean, it doesn't excuse most of the things I did while I was drunk, because I did a lot of stupid stuff, some of it while I was sober, but it certainly explains a lot of it."

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"And now that I know what it actually was that was happening all these years, a lot of things make so much more sense to me. Not everything, mind you, but some of it does."

"Like what?" he asks curiously, hoping she won't shut down and refuse to say anything more.

She lets out a breath as she thinks. "Well, there was a lot of pressure on me growing up to be near perfect because everyone was watching me. And I think that somehow developed into me having anxiety because people were always watching to see what I was doing or wearing, or who I was hanging out with. It's gotten worse over the years, not properly handling it, I guess."

"Has he given you any ideas on how to handle it now?"

She shifts in her seat. "Um, kind of."

"What do you mean?"

"He thinks that being on the farm is helping with my anxiety somehow."

"But didn't you have an attack the other day with the horses? And then after the kids left? And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure you had one not long after you got here, after you watched something on TV."

"Yeah. But those were my only severe attacks since I got here."

"Oh. You're welcome?"

She rolls her eyes. "Shut up. He thinks that somehow being out at the farm and working helped my anxiety. I'm not exactly sure how, but it did. It didn't make it go away completely or anything, but it hasn't happened as often or frequently as it used to."

"Well, that's good."

She nods. "Yeah. I'm just a little worried about what will happen when I go back to LA."

"How do you mean?"

"Just that...I know I blocked out a lot about my childhood for whatever reason, but I'm pretty sure I had a lot of attacks growing up. Like, way more than I can probably count."

He nods in understanding. "And you're worried that being back in that environment will cause you to have attacks all the time again."

She nods, looking down. "Yeah."

He reaches out and places a hand on her knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, it's like I told you before, the farm is always open for you if you ever need to get away for a while and reset."

She smiles at him, covering his hand with hers. "Thanks. I'll probably take you up on that many, many times after I get back."

"I don't doubt that."

.

.

.

"Hey, Grant?" Skye speaks up as she steps into the room after her shower, using a towel to try her hair as best she can.

He lifts his head from the book he's reading. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering this earlier, but I forgot to ask. How exactly do you know Doctor Anderson? Is it just one of those situations where it's such a small town where you know literally everyone?" She squeezes the end of her hair with the towel as she watches him.

"Kind of. I've known Doctor Anderson for a while because of the small town, but I started seeing him right after my Gramsy died."

"Oh."

He nods. "Yeah. He helped me a lot, I was in a pretty dark place and he helped me come out of that. Kebo helped some too, by just being here, but Doctor Anderson really helped to get me out of the headspace I was in."

"And now you're better," she surmises.

He nods with a small smile. "Much. Doctor Anderson is a great guy, and everyone in town is lucky to have him. He's helped a lot of people with different issues over the years he's been here."

"The beauty of a small town, right?" she asks him.

"Exactly. Everybody knows everybody, and so you know you'll always be taken care of."

She lets out a breath. "That is so different from LA," she admits to him, leaning against the doorway.

"How so?"

She shrugs. "Just that most people are looking out for themselves. I mean, yeah, lots of people have friends, especially in the industry, but at the end of the day, most people in the industry will do whatever they can to help themselves get ahead in the business, even if they leave their so-called friends in the dust."

"Has that...has that happened to you before?"

She shakes her head. "Thankfully, no. But I've seen it happen to people I know. And it sucks."

"It certainly sounds that way." He takes a deep breath. "Well, for what it's worth, I'd never leave you high and dry just to get ahead in the world."

She smiles softly at him. "Thanks." She's quiet for a moment, shifting a little on her feet. "So, uh, goodnight, I guess."

"Yeah. I'll see you in the morning bright and early."

She rolls her eyes and groans playfully. "Don't remind me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Now we know that Skye suffers from anxiety. Now Skye knows that she suffers from anxiety. Obviously, I'm not a part of the Hollywood scene, and I don't have anxiety myself, but I did some research and read stories from different celebrities who suffer from it, as well as getting some input from my sister, for writing this anxiety storyline. I wanted to get it right.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!

The next few weeks at the farm seem to come and go faster than either of them can register as they keep working and spending time together.

Grant continues to push Skye in the work she does around the farm and Skye continues to take it all without too much complaining.

Before they know it, June comes to an end and July is beginning. The sun is brighter and hotter in the sky and Skye's attitude is better than it has been the entire time she's been at the farm.

Letting out a yawn, Skye stretches her arms above her head before pulling on her jeans and tugging on her combat boots, getting herself ready for the long day of work ahead of her. She's still crazy tired but she needs to keep showing Grant that she's one hundred percent about wanting to change and be better. And now that she knows about her anxiety, it makes things a little easier for her to handle situations.

Stepping out of her room, she makes her way down toward the kitchen, eager to get some food and coffee, especially coffee, into her system.

"Whoa. What's all this for?" she asks as she enters the kitchen, finding a large stack of sprinkle covered pancakes sitting in the middle of the table where all of the normal, healthier, breakfast foods usually wait for her, a few random streamers are hanging from the ceiling.

Grant rubs at the back of his neck. "I, uh, um...in my family we have this tradition, where when it's your birthday, you get a stack of special birthday pancakes. It's kind of dorky, but uh, today's the second of July, so happy birthday."

Her brows furrow. "You know it's my birthday? Wow. I'm going to be honest. I kind of forgot myself that it's my birthday. The days seemed to have just blended together."

"Yeah, living here has a tendency to do that to a person." He shifts on his feet. "I didn't know what you usually do to celebrate your birthday or anything, and I figure you probably miss your parents and your friends, so I thought I'd make you an honorary member of my family for your birthday this year. I know it's not much…"

She shakes her head and moves toward him, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek gently. "It's perfect," she whispers. She flattens back onto her feet, smiling up at him. "Thank you."

"What was that for?" he asks her, referring to the cheek kiss just seconds ago.

"For being you," she says with a small shrug. "This is very sweet."

"I know it's probably nothing like what you're used to on your birthday, but I—"

"It's better than what I usually do," she assures him. "Really it is. Yeah, in LA I had the huge, lavish parties with hundreds of guests and giant cakes and loads of presents, but after a while, I guess it just stopped feeling special. Like I was just throwing a birthday party to see how big I could have it and how many people I could have there."

Grant frowns. "I'm sorry."

She waves him off. "It's fine. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Will you take a picture with me?"

"What?"

"Come on, please? I want to remember this day for as long as I can because it's the first birthday in a long time that's actually felt normal. And I'd love to have a picture to commemorate this moment. I promise I won't post it anywhere if you don't want me to. I just want something to really remember this moment by."

He hesitates for a moment. "Um, yeah, sure. Okay."

"Awesome." She pulls her phone out of her back pocket and then turns so she's standing right in front of Grant. She hesitates a quick moment before leaning back against him, a warm sensation rushing across her skin when his hand lightly comes up to rest on her waist.

"Smile into the camera," she tells him, holding her phone up in front of the both of them.

Grant stoops down just enough so his face is in the shot, a few of the streamers in the background behind them.

Skye smiles as she presses the capture button, pulling her phone down a second later to admire the picture, slowly turning around.

"Um, Grant," she says, glancing up at him through her eyelashes.

"Yeah?"

"I think you can let go of my waist now."

"Right." He removes his hand quickly and takes a step back. He breathes in deeply. "So, do you want to dig into your birthday pancakes, then?"

She looks up at him as she slides her cell phone back into her pocket. "Only if you join me."

He gives her a tiny smile and then grabs two forks out of the drawer behind him, handing one to her and keeping the other for himself.

They sit down on opposite sides of the table, reaching out to stab at the stack of pancakes.

Minutes go by as they eat together in a comfortable silence.

"Favorite birthday memory," Grant finally speaks up, sticking more pancake into his mouth.

Skye tilts her head in thought. "Ooh, that's a tough one. I've had a lot of good birthdays."

"Pick one," he instructs.

She sighs. "Fine. I think probably one of my favorite birthdays is from when I was on Disney. We had to do this promo thing or whatever for our show and one of the events was actually on my birthday. So, unbeknownst to me, the cast and crew had a massive cake made for me and then brought it out at the end of the event. Everyone that was there sang happy birthday to me and then we all had cake. I even got a few presents from some of the fans that were there."

"Sounds fun."

"It was. I have a lot of really good memories of being on that show. It was even one of the longest-running shows on Disney."

"Wow. I didn't know that."

Skye nods. "Yeah. We just barely made it to that point, but we were all pretty proud of that."

"Well, it's a great thing to be proud of." He shifts in his seat. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Um, how come, after the show ended, you started acting the way that you did? You started partying and drinking all the time and doing some really dumb stuff. I guess I'm just curious because you seemed to have a pretty good thing going for you."

Skye takes a deep breath. "Honestly? I think a large part is because no one told me that I couldn't. Obviously, my parents tried, but they're my parents, they've always been that way, and they were always busy producing something new that I didn't take it too seriously. But nobody else was telling me that I shouldn't act that way."

"So if somebody had been there to tell you off, you might not have acted that way?"

She shrugs. "I don't know, maybe. I was what, fifteen or sixteen when the show ended? Don't most fifteen or sixteen-year-olds rebel anyways?"

"I guess so, in theory."

"What? You weren't a rebel child?"

"Not really."

She squints her eyes at him and tilts her head. "Somehow, that doesn't really surprise me."

He laughs quietly before turning his attention back to the stack of pancakes.

"Your turn," Skye says to him.

"What?"

"I told you my favorite birthday memory, so now you have to tell me  _your_ favorite birthday memory."

"Oh, do I, now?" he says with a small smile.

She nods. "Mm-hmm. It's only fair."

"Of course." He leans back in his chair, thinking to himself. "Let me think. Probably every birthday."

"Sorry, that's not a very acceptable answer."

"What? Of course it is."

She shakes her head. "Nope. I don't buy it. There has to be one birthday that stands out the most to you out of all the birthdays you've had up to this point."

Grant chuckles. "Alright. Probably my tenth birthday."

"Really?"

He nods. "Mm-hmm. That year was the first year that my parents let me have my party here at the farm. Gramsy went all out to make sure that my friends had a good time."

"That was sweet of her."

"Yeah. Gramsy was the best. And you know, I think she would have really liked you. Once we got past all the superficial Hollywood brat stuff."

She gapes at him and then narrows her eyes playfully at him. "You, Grant Ward, are walking a very dangerous line and I'd be very careful if I were you." She leans forward against the table.

He smirks. "Yeah?" He leans forward and rests his forearms on the table. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Skye's eyes flit down quickly to his lips before looking back into his eyes. When she sees him slowly start to move forward, she panics and leans back in her seat, swallowing thickly. "I uh, I just remembered that I should probably call my parents. It's the first year that I'm nowhere near them on my birthday."

Grant sits back and nods. "Right, of course. Use the landline," he tells her. "Cell reception sucks out here."

She nods once. "Got it, thanks." She gives him a small smile before turning and making her way into the hallway, leaning back against the wall. Letting out a shaky breath, she does her best to get her heart rate back under control. She cannot be doing this right now. She's not going to be on this farm forever. She has a boyfriend already. She cannot be feeling like this. She can't.

.

.

.

Taking a deep breath, Grant takes a few slow steps into the living room, smiling at the sight of Skye curled up on the couch, Max at her side and a book open in her lap. It's definitely a sight he didn't think he'd ever see when he first met her but certainly wouldn't mind having around for a little while longer.

"Hey, Skye?" he speaks up softly, not wanting to startle her.

She looks up from her book and smiles softly at him. "Hey. What's up?"

He shifts on his feet, keeping his one hand behind his back. "I, uh, I wanted to give you something. A gift, for your birthday."

"Really? You didn't have to do that."

He nods his head. "I know. But I wanted to." He sits down next to her, being mindful of Max, and pulls a small square box out from behind his back. "I didn't think to wrap it," he says as he hands it to her.

"That's fine," she assures him. "Would have been a waste anyways. I'm a paper tearer."

"Ooh."

She quirks a brow at him. "Let me guess. You're a paper saver?"

He gives her a tiny smile. "Guilty."

She laughs quietly. "Figures."

He watches in anticipation as Skye focuses her attention back on the box in her hands and pulls the lid off, peeling back the tissue paper.

His breath catches in his throat when she lets out a quiet gasp at seeing the small, polished black horse pendant lying in the box, a string running through a small hole at the top of it.

"Oh, wow. Grant, this is gorgeous. Where did you get it?"

He releases a breath. "I'm glad you like it. And I uh, I made it, actually," he tells her, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I wanted you to have some kind of reminder of this place when you go back to LA. You discovered that you like horses now, so I thought this would be a nice reminder of all that."

"I love it. Thank you." She leans forward to pull him into a hug, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. She pulls away from him and looks down at the gift again. "This is probably one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received. Will you put it on me?" she asks him.

He nods. "Yeah."

She smiles. "Great." She pulls the necklace out of the box and hands it to him before turning around and moving her hair out of the way.

Grant swallows thickly and then takes a deep breath, draping the necklace around her and quickly fastening the ends together before letting it fall against her chest, his hands lingering for just a second against her skin.

"Is it too long or anything?" he asks her, pulling his hands away and moving back just a little. "I wasn't quite sure how long to make the rope. I can always take it and adjust it if you want me to."

"It's fine," she tells him, turning back around.

"Good, that's good."

"So you really made this?" she asks him after a moment of silence, looking down at the pendant again.

He nods with a small smile. "Yeah."

"Kebo said that you haven't been in your workshop for years. That you didn't make stuff with metal anymore."

He shrugs. "I never really had a reason to after Gramsy died. Like I said, I wanted to make you something that would remind you of this place when you left. I just didn't know when I would give it to you. But then Katie made a comment about your birthday and I figured it'd be as good a time as any."

"Wow."

"Speaking of my niece, she and the others are coming over to help you celebrate your birthday. I hope that's okay."

She gives him a small smile. "It's fine. I think it might actually be kind of nice to have a small gathering this year for a change."

He smiles back. "I'm glad you think so." He takes a deep breath and stands from the couch. "Alright, time to get to work. Come on."

Skye's eyes go wide. "But it's my birthday."

He nods. "I know. Doesn't keep you from doing some of your daily chores. I let you have a bit of a break this morning, but now it's time to do some work. And we've got a lot to do before your party, birthday girl."

Skye sighs and stands up from the couch. "Fine. I guess I can help you."

Grant chuckles, placing a hand on her lower back to guide her out toward the back door. "Come on, Rookie. The animals await."

.

.

.

Hearing a loud and quick knock at the front door, Skye sets her book aside and stands from the couch, shuffling her way across the hardwood floor and toward the front of the house.

Once the door swings open, she's immediately bombarded by a small brunette mass attaching itself tightly to her legs.

"Happy birthday, Skye!"

Skye smiles wide when she sees Ethan, Caleb, Amanda, and a man she doesn't recognize standing on the front porch, smiles on all of their faces, Kate still wrapped around her legs in a hug.

She leans down to return Kate's hug, dropping a kiss to the top of the little girl's head before lifting her into her arms and settling her onto her hip.

"Thank you, guys," she says to the small family.

"We brought you presents," Kate tells her proudly. "Daddy has them cause the bag is so heavy."

"It's not that heavy, Katie," Caleb tells his sister.

"Yes, it is," Kate insists.

"Enough, you two," Amanda speaks up. She takes a step inside the house and pulls Skye into a hug. "Happy birthday, Skye."

"Thanks."

Pulling back from the hug, Amanda reaches behind her for the man on the porch, grabbing his hand and tugging him forward. "Skye, this is my husband Owen. Owen, this is Grant's friend Skye. She's been staying here the last couple of months to help out around the farm."

"Nice to meet you," Owen says, holding out a hand.

Skye accepts his hand. "Nice to meet you as well."

"Daddy, she's Princess Daisy," Kate speaks up excitedly, bouncing a little in Skye's arms.

"I thought the name and face seemed familiar," Owen says.

Skye laughs quietly. "Yeah. Even though that movie was practically a lifetime ago, it seems to be the most popular project that I've done."

"Cause it's so awesome," Kate tells her matter of factly. "Where's Uncle Grant?" she asks, immediately changing subjects as only a child can.

"You know, I'm not quite sure," Skye says. "We were hanging out earlier but I haven't been able to find him since then."

"We can go find him," Ethan speaks up.

"Yeah, we can find him," Caleb agrees.

"Katie, wanna help us?"

Kate smiles and nods her head. "Yeah."

"I'll go with them," Owen tells his wife, stepping forward and setting the bag of presents down just inside the door. He presses a kiss to his wife's cheek before scooping Kate into his arms and following his two boys through the house and out to the backyard.

"So, when I spoke to Grant the other day, he said that this is your first birthday spent away from your family and all the lights and cameras of Hollywood."

Skye nods. "Yeah, it is."

"Well, I hope it's been somewhat decent for you so far."

Skye smiles and subconsciously reaches a hand up to the pendant around her neck. "It's actually been a pretty good one so far. Better than I thought it would be. And that's only after I remembered it's my birthday."

"You forgot?"

"Yeah. I told Grant how the days seem to have blurred together since I've been out here. But in a good way, I guess. Back in LA, I used to always be concerned about what day it was because I always had something important to do in regards to my career or making plans with friends or people I barely knew. But out here...out here it's just nice to not have to worry about all of that for a change. I just get to relax and take care of the animals."

Amanda smiles knowingly. "Seems like someone's had a real change of heart. Grant told me what you were like when you first got here."

Skye laughs quietly, brushing back some loose strands of hair. "Yeah. I guess I wasn't exactly the nicest person."

"From what he tells me, you were a bit of a nightmare."

Skye closes her eyes in embarrassment. "Yeah, I was pretty awful to him. But I'm better now. I think. At least, I'm getting there."

"That's good. I know my daughter looks up to you a lot. I've tried to shelter her from some of the more questionable things you've done over the years."

Skye frowns. "I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Don't apologize. I'm sure it wasn't easy growing up in the spotlight."

"It really hasn't been. But it's still not much of an excuse for how I've acted. I know plenty of other people who grew up in the spotlight and are doing just fine."

"Maybe so. But I think that what really matters is that you're making the steps to change, to be a better person."

"I am," Skye tells her with a nod. "And Grant's been a big help in that aspect."

"I'm sure he has. Speaking of my brother…" she trails off and points the pendant around Skye's desk. She smiles. "I'd recognize that work anywhere. Did Grant make that for you?"

Skye glances down at the pendant and nods. "Yeah, he did. It was a birthday present."

"That's so sweet. He hasn't made anything in years."

"So I've heard." Skye takes a deep breath and shifts on her feet. "Right, well, should we head to where the others are so we can get my party started?"

Amanda smiles and nods. "Yes, let's do that."

"Great." Skye smiles and turns around, leading Amanda through the house and to the backyard, a knowing smile on the older woman's face the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter. This one's another bit of a game-changer and you'll see why soon enough.
> 
> Enjoy!

"So what exactly is this whole thing again?" Skye asks Grant as she helps him set up folding tables and chairs out on the front lawn, a cool summer breeze blowing around them. "I know you explained it to me last week, but I kind of forgot what it is," she tells him with a sheepish smile.

"A Fourth of July Extravaganza," he reminds her. "Barbecue, Talent Show, Cook-Off, and then a fireworks display to close out the night."

"Wow. And you really do this every year?"

He nods. "Every year without fail. My grandparents are the ones who started it not long after they got married and moved out here. Gramsy wanted to do something to bring the whole town together during the summer. It started as just a barbecue but slowly evolved as the years went on and more people showed up. Neither of my parents ever wanted this kind of lifestyle for themselves, especially my dad, but I always loved coming here during the summers and every chance I got. So when I was old enough, Gramsy left the farm to me and I've kept the tradition going ever since."

She smiles at him. "Well, that's very neighborly of you."

Grant chuckles. "Thanks. I love doing it. Someday I hope to pass it down to my own kids when I have them. Or even Mandy's kids if I never have any of my own. It's always such a great turnout at this party."

"Well I'm looking forward to it," she tells him. "The only parties I've ever been to are Hollywood parties and I wouldn't exactly classify those as being neighborly."

"Yeah, I guess not."

She shifts on her feet. "And uh, I hope you don't mind, but I sort of invited my boyfriend and some of our friends to the party. It's just, I haven't seen him since I came here and I miss him. We usually spend my birthday together, but since I was here, I figured I'd invite him to this instead."

Grant hesitates for a moment before putting on a tight smile. "No, that's totally fine. Everyone's welcome here. The more the merrier. At least, that's what Gramsy would always say."

"Great." Skye smiles. "I'm gonna go check on some of the animals before people start showing up."

"Yeah, okay. I'll uh, I'll keep setting up out here."

"Awesome." She tosses him another smile before turning and making her way across the yard to some of the animals roaming about.

Grant watches her walk away and sighs. "Of course she invited him," he mutters under his breath. "Why wouldn't she? Like she said, he's her boyfriend."

"Oi, everything all good over here?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Grant grumbles.

"Whoa. Ease up on the attitude, mate."

He sighs. "Sorry."

"It's fine. But what's eating at you?"

"Skye invited her boyfriend to the party, apparently."

"Ah. And you're not happy about that."

"What?"

"Didn't Gramsy always say the more the merrier at these things?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Great. So then I'm a bit confused as to why you're so upset she invited a friend."

"I'm not upset that she invited a friend, Kebo. I'm upset that she invited  _him_. I may not pay that much attention to the rest of the world, but I still know some things. And one of those things that I know is that that guy is no good."

"Whoa, mate. Do you...do you have feelings for her? Is that why you're so upset?"

Grant scoffs. "What? No. Of course not."

Kebo quirks a brow.

Grant sighs. "I don't know, man. Maybe I do. But it doesn't matter if I do. She invited her boyfriend to the party."

"Boyfriend, not husband. You've still got a shot there."

Grant squints his eyes and tilts his head. "Since when did you become her biggest advocate? I thought she annoyed you."

Kebo shrugs. "She grows on you. And she still annoys me. But it's lessened over the time she's been here."

Grant chuckles. "Right. So did you come over here to help me or just stand there and make comments?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, mate. I'm here to help you."

"Good. Go grab the rest of the folding chairs."

"On it, boss."

.

.

.

"Skye!"

Turning her head from where she'd been standing at the buffet table trying to decide what she wants to eat, Skye smiles when she sees Kate running full speed toward her, dressed in blue jean shorts, and a red and white striped tank top. Her hair is pulled back into a braid with red, white, and blue ribbons woven throughout it.

"Hey, Katie." She stoops down and opens her arms up to the little girl, giving her a hug and lifting her up into her arms. "How are you?"

"Good. I missed you."

"You just saw me two days ago."

Kate shrugs. "I know."

"I missed you too. And guess what?"

"What?"

"I brought you that thing we talked about."

Kate's eyes go wide and she gasps. "Really?"

Skye nods. "Of course."

"Can I see it?"

"See what?" Grant asks, approaching the two of them with Max at his heels.

"It's a surprise," Skye tells him.

"Yeah, it's a surprise, Uncle Grant," Kate repeats.

"But I promise that you will love it," Skye says to him. "As will everyone else."

Grant sighs. "Alright, I guess I can wait. But do I at least get a hug from my favorite girl?"

Kate smiles and then leans out of Skye's arms, reaching toward Grant.

Grant smiles back and takes Kate into his arms, hugging her tightly and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He then tosses her into the air before catching her again and tickling her sides, making the young girl let out a full-bellied laugh.

Skye smiles at the sweet scene of Grant and his niece together before grabbing a few small finger foods and turning around to make her way to another part of the field to talk with some of the other partygoers in attendance.

"Oi, Skye."

Turning her head, she smiles a little when she sees Kebo approaching her with a blonde woman she doesn't recognize.

"Kebo, hey."

"Hi. So, um, I want to introduce you to someone. This is my girlfriend, Hannah. She's a big fan and would have slaughtered me in my sleep if I didn't introduce you two now that she knows I know you. Hannah, meet Skye."

"Hey," Skye says with a small smile and wave to the other woman.

"Hi. Wow. This is...really surreal. I mean, I've seen all of your movies but I honestly never thought I'd be meeting you. Ever. I didn't believe Kebo at first when he told me he knew you."

"She thought I was lying. But obviously, I wasn't."

"Well, I'm glad to finally meet you," Skye tells Hannah. "I didn't even know Kebo had a girlfriend, so it's pretty surreal for me too." She laughs quietly. "We should definitely stay in touch, though," she says. "I'm sure you have a lot of dirt on Kebo that I would love to have over him."

"Oh, I have plenty of stories I could tell you."

"Why did I not think this was going to happen?" Kebo remarks. "I should have known this was going to happen."

The two women laugh before going off to a different part of the yard leaving Kebo behind, falling into an easy conversation with each other.

.

.

.

"Alright everyone, we have had some pretty amazing acts so far. But now, unfortunately, it's time for the end of our Talent Show," Grant says atop the makeshift stage in the yard. Some members in the crowd let out noises of protest. Grant chuckles. "I know, I know, I feel the exact same way. However, we have saved the best, and cutest, for last. Though, I may be a bit biased on that. Reciting a scene from her favorite movie ever, of all time, please welcome to the stage, my beautiful niece, Katie."

Everyone claps as Grant makes his way off the stage and Kate steps up onto it, standing center stage with a wide smile on her face.

"Wait a second," Grant says to himself with furrowed brows. "That outfit looks really familiar."

"That's because it's Princess Daisy's gown," Skye says, stepping up beside him. "Well, obviously it's not the exact one, because I was a bit older than Katie is when I did that movie, but it's an exact replica of that dress, just in a smaller size."

"How did you…"

Skye shrugs. "I called in a few favors. And by that, I mean that there's still someone in the industry who doesn't completely hate me. The costume designer from the Princess Daisy movie is an old family friend. She was more than happy to do this for me. Well, for Katie."

Grant looks at her and smiles. "That's amazing, Skye."

Skye waves him off. "It's nothing, really."

"Well, I'm sure it means the world to Katie."

"I'm sure it does," Skye says back. "Now be quiet and watch. She's getting to the best part of the scene."

Grant and Skye turn their attention back to the stage where Kate stands in the center, reciting Princess Daisy's final monologue to her kingdom, complete with all the same actions and blocking from the film.

Grant watches the brunette next to him out of the corner of his eye, smiling at how captivated she is by his niece and her performance. She's definitely done a one-eighty from when she first arrived at his place a few months ago. A sense of pride washes over him at that moment. He's proud of her for coming so far and really changing who she is. She's come a long way.

.

.

.

"Miles?" Skye calls out as she makes her way across the yard, the dry grass crunching under her shoes as she walks. "Miles? Where'd you go?"

Hearing some loud laughter coming from nearby, Skye rounds the corner of the stables to see Miles and their friends leaning against the side of it, some of them hunched over laughing.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

"Skye," Miles speaks up. "Come here." He waves her over to their group.

Skye steps a bit closer to Miles and then pauses, her face scrunching up. "Whoa. Are you drunk right now?"

"Maybe a little," Miles slurs, letting out a small laugh.

"You're completely wasted. Are you serious right now?"

Miles rolls his eyes. "Oh relax, Skye. We just wanted to have a little bit of fun."

"There are  _kids_ here, Miles, a lot of kids. You can't just go around getting drunk when there are kids here."

"That's why we're all the way over here instead of being out where all those kids are."

"Whatever. I'm going back over to where the party is. Katie wants me to sit with her for the fireworks show."

"You're seriously choosing that stupid party and those dumb kids over hanging out with us?" Miles gestures to the few people around him.

She nods. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm choosing."

"Well, then you're going to miss out on an amazing show." He grins, reaching behind him and pulling a few fireworks out of his back pocket.

"Where did you get those?" she asks him.

"They won't miss them, Skye. They still have plenty over there."

"Miles, whatever you're planning on doing, you need to stop."  
"Oh, come on, Skye. You're no fun anymore."

"No, Miles, I still know how to have fun. My definition of fun is just no longer associated with the destruction of property or stupid stunts or getting wasted every night of the week."

"We're just trying to have our own party, Skye," one of the guys says, tossing an arm across her shoulders.

"Shut up, Nathan," she says back, hitting his arm away from her. She looks at all the others. "You guys seriously need to knock this off right now."

"Too late for that."

Skye whirls around to see Miles standing with a lighter in his hand, moving back from the firework he had that's now lit and sitting in the middle of the grass.

"Miles!" she shouts. "What the hell are you doing?" She steps forward and swipes the lighter from him, holding it tightly in her hand.

"Relax, Skye, it's just a firework."

"I know that. But are you really stupid enough to set off a firework back here where there's a bunch of dry grass, and a wooden building full of animals and hay? You know what, don't answer that. I already know the answer."

A second later, the firework goes off, causing Skye to jump back because of its close proximity to her. As she jumps back, she bumps into a couple of the other guys around her, one of them spilling some of his beer down the front of her shirt.

"Seriously?" she hisses. "What's wrong with you?"

"You bumped into me," one of the guys says.

"Whatever. I'm going to go change. I don't want to be wearing this when I—"

"Skye? I heard a loud pop over here. Is everything okay?"

Skye spins around quickly to face Grant and puts on a smile. "Hey, yeah, everything's fine. Totally fine."

Grant's face twists up and he takes a small step back. "You smell like beer."

Skye looks down at her shirt. "Oh, yeah, that."

"And why do you have a lighter in your hand?" he asks her.

Skye looks at the lighter and mentally chastises herself. "Grant, it's not—"

"Did you come back here to get drunk, Skye? You know I don't want alcohol here with there being so many kids around."

"I do know that, and I—"

"So why are you back here?" he asks.

"Hey, do you smell that?" one of the guys speaks up.

"Yeah, I think it smells like smoke," another guy says.

Skye gasps. "Grant, the stable." Her eyes go wide when she sees smoke rising out one of the windows and flames dancing on top of the roof.

"What the hell happened?" Grant asks. "What did you guys do to my stable?"

"Grant, calm down," Skye says.

"Is that why you came back here? Did Miles and his band of wannabe thugs convince you to help them try and burn down my stable? Because that's what's happening. It's completely on fire right now and instead of taking care of it I'm still standing here talking to you. Why is that?"

"Grant, please let me explain."

"There's no need. I thought you'd changed, Skye. You told me that you wanted to change. I really thought that being here was helping you. Obviously, I was wrong. You can stay for the night but I want you gone in the morning. I'll have Kebo drive you into town and your parents can pick you up from there. Now excuse me, I have to make sure my horses are okay and that there isn't too much damage done." He stalks off toward his barn, joining Kebo, Owen, and a few other guys to make sure things are fairly okay.

"Wow, that guy really needs to relax," Miles slurs.

Skye whirls on him and throws the lighter at him, hitting him in the chest.

"Seriously? What the hell, Skye?"

"This is all your fault," she says. "I never should have invited you here. How could I have been so stupid as to think you wouldn't do anything idiotic while here? You need to leave."

"Aww, come on, Skye. The fun's just getting started."

"Leave, Miles. Now."

"Fine. If that's how you want it."

"It is," she says back. "And we're done too. I realize now that I can do a whole hell of a lot better than you."

He scoffs. "Whatever. Let's go, guys. This party was lame anyways."

Skye watches as Miles and the rest of the guys walk away, leaving her alone.

She focuses her attention on the bar, watching Grant, Kebo, Owen, and a few other guys working on getting the animals out of the barn and putting out the fire, she lets out a heavy sigh.

After making so much progress over the last couple of months she just completely ruined it all in a matter of minutes.

Turning away from the mess, she makes her way up to the back of the house, eager to get rid of the beer stained t-shirt on her body.

"Skye?"

"Hey, Katie," she says, fighting back her tears when she sees the little girl approaching her.

Katie's nose crinkles. "You smell funny."

"I know, sweetie. That's why I'm going inside to change my shirt."

"Oh. Are you still gonna watch the show with me?"

Skye smiles. "Of course I am. I'll just be a couple of minutes. Okay?"

"Okay." Katie smiles at her before running through the grass and over to where everyone is gathered to watch the fireworks display.

She sighs and then steps up inside the house, letting the door fall closed behind her. She leans back against the wall beside her, sliding down it as she chokes on a sob. She covers her mouth with one hand, closing her eyes tightly as a massive wave of emotion washes over her.

Everything hurts. Everything is screwed up. And it's all her fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter. This one's another bit of a game-changer and you'll see why soon enough.
> 
> Enjoy!


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!

Tossing the last of her clothes into her suitcase, Skye lets out a frustrated breath of air. She closes the lid and struggles for a moment to get the zipper all the way around it.

She glances around the room one more time, memory after memory flooding into her head of her short time spent at the farm.

Leaning down, she unplugs her phone charger from the wall, rolling it up and slipping it into her bag. She takes another long look around the room, making sure she has everything that belongs to her.

"You ready to go?"

Looking up from her packed suitcase, Skye sees Kebo standing in the doorway to the room, a blank look on his face as he watches her.

"Where's Grant?" she asks him.

Kebo's face hardens. "Out with the animals. He already knows you're leaving. Now let's go. I don't have all day."

Skye sighs deeply. "Fine." She grabs the handle of her suitcase and sets it on the floor, pulling it along behind her as she makes her way out of the room and over to the front door.

She continues out of the house and down the porch to the truck, lingering for just a moment, hoping in the back of her mind that she won't really have to leave.

Tossing her suitcase up into the bed of the truck when she reaches the vehicle, Skye silently climbs into the cab. She buckles herself in and leans back, turning her head to look out the window at the farmland she didn't think she'd end up caring so much about when she first arrived.

Kebo climbs into the other side of the truck and straps himself in. He starts the engine and looks over his shoulder as he slowly backs out onto the road.

"Bet you feel awful right about now," Kebo says after a moment, once they're on the road and headed into town.

"Can we please not do this right now?" Skye responds, barely sparing a glance at him.

"You made a pretty stupid decision, superstar," he responds.

"Kebo, I'm serious, not now."

"Fine, whatever."

The rest of the long drive into town is spent in complete silence between the two adults.

Skye stares out the window of the truck for the duration of the trip, watching as the outside world blurs together into one image as the car whizzes past everything as it makes its way toward the central part of town.

There's a part of her that knows about how long she's been in the car for, but there's another part of her that feels like time didn't really pass at all. Like they're just driving without really going anywhere. In reality, there's only one place she really wants to be. But there's no way she'll be welcome back there anytime soon.

Eventually, they reach the main part of town and she can see her mother waiting for her by the car, the trunk already open and waiting for her bag.

"Stop here," she instructs Kebo before they can get any closer.

"But your mum's over there," he counters, pointing to the older woman still a little ways ahead of them.

"Yes, I can see that. Now just stop here. You said you'd bring me into town and you have. You've done your job and now you can leave."

Kebo takes a deep breath and then nods. "Right. Of course." He gently presses down on the brake pedal, letting the car come to a stop along the curb before shifting the gear into park. "You are free to go."

"Yeah, thanks." She quickly unclips her seatbelt and climbs out of the car, grabbing her suitcase out of the back. She watches Kebo reverse out of the road and drive out of sight before turning to face where her mother is standing.

She hardens her face and takes a deep breath before moving forward, determination in her every step.

"Hi, sweetheart," her mom says to her with a soft smile when she reaches the car.

"I don't want to talk about it," Skye responds instantaneously, tossing her suitcase into the trunk. "Can we just go, please? I'm really tired and just want to sleep in my own bed for a while."

Melinda nods. "Of course. Come on." She gestures with her head to the front of the car and then walks around to the driver's side after closing the trunk and making sure it's secure.

Skye moves to the passenger side of the car and opens the front door, climbing inside and pulling the door shut. She straps herself in and then sinks down in her seat as far as she can without being dangerous and leans her head against the window, staring outside once again.

She hears her mother sigh quietly and then the tumble of the ignition turning over. The car vibrates beneath her as it's slowly backed out of the parking space and pulling onto the main road to head back to LA.

She leans forward and quickly flips on the radio before sitting back, the quiet sounds of the song playing filling the space. She hopes it'll prevent her mom from trying to strike up a conversation. She's not in the mood for that.

To Skye, it feels as if the drive takes forever, stuck in the car with her mother, knowing the older woman wants to speak but is holding back, thankfully.

She spends the entire car ride staring out the window, ignoring the glances she can practically feel being burned into the back of her head. All she has to do is survive the ride home, then she'll be okay.

Hopefully.

.

.

.

As soon as she feels the car come to a stop in front of her parents' house, Skye is up and out of the car, grabbing her suitcase from the trunk after it opens and moving up into the house.

She bypasses her dad standing just inside the house, it's obvious that he was waiting for her to get back. She loves her dad, and she knows he means well, but she cannot talk to him right now. She doesn't want to talk to anyone.

She makes a beeline for the tall staircase, and lugs her suitcase up the stairs, curling up in her old bed the only thing on her mind.

"Don't even ask." She hears her mom speak to her dad from the front hallway. "She wouldn't tell me anything."

"What do we do?"

"Wait, I guess."

"Wait for what?"

"For her to want to talk."

Their voices get quieter as she gets further away. Her closed bedroom door helps to drown out their voices.

Kicking off her shoes and dropping her suitcase, Skye immediately crawls onto her bed. She pulls the blanket down and crawls underneath of it, burying herself under it as much as she can, just wanting to escape.

.

.

.

Pushing open the rust-covered door, Skye breathes in deeply at the familiar, yet at the same time somehow unfamiliar, scenes surrounding her. The heavy bass pulsates in her ears, making her head start to hurt, as she catches sight of the people dancing in the center of the floor and drinking at the tables and booths set up along the walls.

"Well, this is certainly a sight for sore eyes. Good to have you back again. Just try not to have too much fun, alright?"

She gives a small nod to the chuckling bouncer at the door as she walks past him and through the club.

She passes by a few familiar faces, greeting them all with quick nods and tight-lipped smiles. She doesn't want to talk. At least, not to anyone in the bar. There's only one person she wants to talk to. And he's nowhere near the bar. Unfortunately for her.

"There's my favorite girl."

Skye gives a tight smile to the tall man behind the long wooden counter as she approaches it. "Hey, Rodney. Just my usual, please."

The man nods. "Of course." He quickly gets to work making her drink. "Been a while since I've seen you in here. Where've you been hiding out these last few months?"

She pulls herself up onto an empty bar stool, resting her elbows on the countertop. "I was out of town for a while. Staying with a...with an old friend."

"Right. Well, here's your drink. First of many, I presume," he says with a small smile. "I'll be back to refill that for you later." He gives her a wink as he walks away to help another customer.

"Great, thanks." She gives him another tight smile and watches as he leaves.

Staring down into the amber liquid in front of her, Skye swirls the drink around in the glass. The image soon starts to go blurry as her eyes begin to lose focus.

It's been months since she's had a drink, since she's even touched a bottle. She honestly thought she'd hate it. But she doesn't. She hates that the first thing her heartbreak tempts her to do is have a drink. Drinking has always been her crutch, for just about everything.

Inwardly cursing herself, she slides the glass across the bar-top to the back and then stands from her stool. She pulls a small wad of cash out of her back pocket, dropping a few bills onto the counter.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah. Sorry for wasting your time, Rodney."

"You're never a waste, Skye. The only thing that's being wasted is the drink that I painstakingly made for you."

Skye rolls her eyes. "It's not that hard to pour a drink from a bottle into a glass. Anyone can do it." She turns around without another word and marches straight out of the bar and to her car, not bothering with speaking to anyone who tries to get her attention. She's not in the mood for any of it. Probably won't be for a while.

Reaching her car, she quickly unlocks it and slides into the driver's seat. Shutting the door behind her, she sits there with the keys in her hand, staring out the windshield at the club across the street.

She used to crave going there and getting drink after drink until she could hardly stand. But now...now she can't even stomach the idea of using alcohol to drown out how she's feeling or to make her problems go away. It just seems wrong.

Her fingers drift up to the pendant still around her neck and she fights back the tears threatening to break through.

Pushing her keys into the ignition, she flips over the engine and then slowly backs out of her parking space and onto the road.

.

.

.

"Knock knock."

Lifting her head from her pillow, she continues to fight back the tears trying to spill over when she sees her best friend standing in the doorway to her bedroom, a faint smile on her face.

"Jemma?"

"I brought rom-coms and cookie dough ice cream," the Brit says immediately, holding up a plastic grocery bag.

Skye smiles. "You know where my laptop is." She pulls herself up into a sitting position against her headboard, waiting for Jemma to retrieve the laptop from her old desk.

The two women settle themselves on Skye's bed, her laptop open in front of them and the tub of cookie dough ice cream sitting in between them.

"Ooh, this one first," Skye says, immediately grabbing a DVD and sliding it into the disc drive of her computer. "I love this one."

"Yes I know," Jemma tells her, spooning out some ice cream. "Hence why I brought it."

"I can always count on you to know exactly what I need," Skye says with a smile, leaning back as the movie loads.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Jemma asks her.

"Not particularly," Skye says as she stabs at her ice cream, her lips pulled in tight. "All I want to do is pig out on ice cream while watching rom-coms with my best friend who I missed a lot while I was away."

Jemma smiles at her. "I missed you while you were gone as well. Did being away serve the purpose your parents hoped that it would?"

"Didn't I just say that I didn't want to talk about it?" she snaps.

"I'm sorry."

Skye sighs. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." She runs a hand down her face. "I'm, uh, yeah, it helped, being away. Especially since I learned something very important about myself."

"What's that?"

"I have severe anxiety."

Jemma's brows furrow. "You do?"

She nods. "Yeah."

"How'd you find out?"

"Grant's actually the one who figured it out after I had an anxiety attack. So he made me an appointment with this doctor and sure enough, I have anxiety. Explains a lot about my childhood."

"I'm sure it does. Though it must not be easy knowing you have it."

She shrugs. "It's gotten easier since I found out." There's a brief moment of silence between the two friends. "I went to my favorite club right after I got back and ordered a drink."

Jemma frowns. "Skye…"

"But I walked away."

Jemma smiles. "That's brilliant. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks."

"You know, I didn't say anything before because I knew you'd be upset, but I had a very strong feeling that getting away from all of this would be good for you."

Skye's jaw tightens. "I guess mom and dad thought so too."

"Well, that's good."

Skye pulls her lips in tight and nods. "Yeah, it's the best." She stabs at her ice cream again before scooping some into her mouth.

Jemma tilts her head and frowns. "Why does it sounds like there's more to this than you're letting on?"

Skye sighs and stabs her ice cream one more time, letting the spoon stay upright. "I just...I don't know, Jemma. I hated that place when I first got there, I wanted to be anywhere but on that farm. But now…" she trails off, unsure of exactly how to word her thoughts properly.

"But now you'd rather be there than anywhere else."

Skye groans and falls back against her pillow, her eyes closing tightly. "This sucks, Jemma. It really, really sucks. I don't know what to do, or how to feel, and I just hate this so much right now."

"I'm sorry you're feeling this way, Skye. I wish there was something I could do."

"Well, if you want to rewind time or send me back so that I can stop myself from inviting Miles to the party, then be my guest."

"Unfortunately time travel is not one of my skills as a doctor," Jemma tells her.

"That's what I figured." She sighs. "And now Grant pretty much hates my guts and never wants to see me again, which I guess I can't really blame him for since I nearly burned down his stable."

"Is that why you came back?" Jemma asks with a slightly dropped jaw.

Skye nods. "Yeah. But it wasn't really my fault. Technically I'm not the one who set the barn on fire, but I invited Miles and he was the one who set off the firework. I just...I wish things could have gone a whole lot differently."

"And Grant is the one who owns the farm, correct?"

Skye nods again. "Mm-hmm. But, like I said, he probably hates me now and never wants to see my face again."

"Well, I'm truly sorry you're going through this, Skye. But for right now, I think all we can really do is watch some of your favorite movies and eat your favorite ice cream to distract you from this pain."

Skye gives her best friend a small smile. "I really like the sound of that."

"Good. Because I got someone else to cover my shift and I'm not going anywhere."

"Jemma, you didn't need to do that."

"Yes, I did. You're my best friend and you're hurting. So let me be here for you."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome."

They share a quick hug before falling into a comfortable silence as the movie plays out on the laptop screen in front of them. They continue to watch movies late into the night, eventually falling asleep on the bed, like they've done so many times before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back with a new chapter for ya! This is the last full chapter before the epilogue!
> 
> Enjoy!

"Go away!" Skye shouts when she hears the tentative knock at her bedroom door. She buries her face deeper into her pillow, not wanting any company at the present moment. She'd much rather wallow in her self-pity. How could she have been so stupid? She had it so good. She was actually turning into a decent human being and learning how to take better care of herself. And she just went and screwed it all up. Like she screws up everything in her life.

The door slowly creaks open and Skye lifts her head just enough to see her mom peeking her head around the edge of the door.

Skye sighs and flips over onto her other side, tugging one of her pillows closer to her body. "Just leave me alone, please."

"Skye, sweetheart, your father and I are very worried about you. What's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Her voice nearly cracks and she swallows back the tears threatening to spill over at any moment if she gave them the chance.

"Talking about it might help," Melinda suggests.

"Not this time, mom. This time I just proved once again that I'm nothing more than a major screw up."

"You are  _not_  a screw up, Skye," her mother says forcefully, in a way that only a mother really can.

Skye flips back over and looks up at her mom, her eyes glossed over with unshed tears. "But I  _am,_ mom. I royally screwed up this time, probably worse than anything I've done before. I don't even know what I was thinking inviting Miles and all the rest of those guys out to the farm. I should have known it wouldn't end well."

"There's no way you could have know that, sweetheart," Melinda says, sitting down on the edge of her daughter's bed.

"But I should have," Skye insists. "Miles has always been trouble, since the day I met him, but I was too young, stubborn, and stupid to see that before. And I just turned a blind eye to it all these years of being with him." She looks up at the ceiling. "If I hadn't invited him to that party then I wouldn't be here right now, I'd still be there."

"With Grant," Melinda adds carefully.

Skye's eyes shoot to her mother. "What?"

Melinda sighs. "Don't hate her for it, but Jemma told me some of what you two talked about the other day when she was here. I'm sorry we never took you to see someone sooner, sweetheart. Maybe then you would have known about your anxiety earlier and been able to handle it better."

Skye shakes her head. "It's fine, mom. You and dad were always busy."

"But we shouldn't ever have been too busy to take care of you. You're our daughter."

"Like I said, it's fine, I'm fine."

"You may be very good at acting like someone else on screen, Skye, but I'm your mother, you can't hide how you feel about things from me. Especially how you feel about a certain someone."

Skye shakes her head, looking away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You care about him, Skye. If you didn't, then you wouldn't have worked yourself up into such a frenzy over him making you leave."

"I just...I thought there could have been something there between us, you know? He's so nice and super sweet, and he really helped me out a lot, even if I didn't want his help at first. He made me see that there's so much more to life than how I've been living it. And I just ended up hurting him in the end."

"Maybe there's something you can do," Melinda tells her.

She throws her hands in the air. "What could I possibly do, mom? He hates me and never wants to see me again."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Well, I screwed everything up, again, so I really wouldn't blame him if it is."

"There's only one way to find out for sure," Melinda says.

"He won't answer any of my calls. He's completely shutting me out."

"There's more than one way to talk to someone, Skye. I'd think you would have figured that out by staying out at that farm. You'll never know the truth unless you try." Melinda drops a kiss to her daughter's temple before standing up from the bed and making her way out of the bedroom.

Skye remains in her spot on her bed, staring after her mom's retreating form. She lets out a breath and runs her hand through her hair.

Looking over to her nightstand, she leans over and grabs her phone, pulling it in front of her. She taps the home button and stares at the screen. A few missed calls and texts from some of her closest friends. A couple of texts from Amanda. Even a load of twitter notifications from some of her fans. But still nothing from Grant. Not that she was expecting there to be anything from him.

Letting out a sigh, she unlocks her phone and goes into her twitter app. Ignoring all the tweets on her timeline and the notifications for her account, she hits the New Tweet button and types out a message.

_**@RealSkye**  :_ _I know you aren't on here, so you'll probably never see this. But I just wanted to put it out into the universe and say that out of all the stupid, idiotic, dumb things I've done over my lifetime, I regret this one the most. I never wanted to hurt you. And I'm so sorry that I did._

.

.

.

Making her way up the long dirt path and then the short staircase to the front door of Grant's house, Skye takes a deep breath to try and calm her rapidly beating heart. Her palms are sweaty and every part of her is on edge. She's never done anything like this before, but there's never been anyone who has meant as much to her as this one man does.

Finding the front door unlocked, she pushes it open and steps inside, letting it fall closed behind her.

"Grant?" she calls out tentatively as she makes her way into the familiar living room. "Are you in here?"

A light tapping against the hardwood floor pulls her attention to the hallway and she sees Max making his way toward her.

"Hey, Max," she says with a small smile to the dog.

Max stops in his tracks, looks up at her, and then turns away to continue over to his chair, climbing up on it and settling himself comfortably on the cushion, turning his head away from her.

Skye sighs. "Guess you're mad at me too, then, huh? Figures. But I can't really blame you. I'd be mad at me too if I was in your position."

Turning her focus away from the German Shepherd, she walks down the hallway toward the back door. Her heart rate picks up faster despite every effort she makes to slow it down.

Stopping just in front of the door, Skye hesitates in reaching out for the knob, telling herself to just turn around and go back home. A deeper part inside of her keeps saying that this is a bad idea and she's just going to embarrass herself at the end of it all.

Shaking her head to clear the negative thoughts away, she grabs the door handle tightly and pushes it open all the way, stepping out onto the back porch, the bright sun encompassing her again.

"Grant? Are you out here?" She walks down the porch steps and into the freshly mowed grass, her shoes leaving marks in the stamped down grass as she walks. "Grant?"

"What are you doing here?"

Turning her head, Skye sees Grant standing a few feet away from her, his brows furrowed together and his eyes hard as he stares her down.

She turns around fully to face him, her hands wringing together nervously. "You weren't answering my phone calls. So I came by to talk to you."

Grant walks right past her. "Are you sure you aren't here to try and burn my stable down again?" he bites. "Because I'm still trying to repair the damage you caused the last time you were here. So I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to go over and ruin it again. Maybe do some more damage this time around."

"I swear I had absolutely nothing to do with what happened," she tells him.

"Oh, so you just happened to be holding a lighter in your hand with beer spilled down the front of your shirt for no reason?"

Skye shakes her head. "No. I took the lighter from Miles after he lit the firework, even though I told him not to. And I had beer all down the front of my shirt because I bumped into someone when the firework went off and he spilled his beer on me."

Grant pauses briefly. "Oh."

She nods. "Yeah. And you would have known that if you had given me a chance to explain things to you that night. But instead, you just assumed the worst, got mad, and kicked me out of here."

"Thought you would have been happy to get away from here," he tells her. "You seemed pretty eager most of the time."

"Well when I first came to stay here, yeah, I would have been thrilled about getting kicked out of here."

"Yeah, I know. You made it pretty clear."

Skye sighs in frustration. "Would you stop what you're doing and just look at me? Please?"

Grant stops and turns toward Skye, crossing his arms in front of him. "Happy?"

Skye nods. "Yes." She takes a deep breath. "Now, will you let me continue without interrupting me?"

Grant simply nods his head, shifting a little on his feet.

"Great, okay." She takes a deep breath. "Like I was saying before, when I first got here I would have been thrilled to get out of this place. But if I had left early, I wouldn't have gotten to learn some hard work and how satisfying it is actually doing things for myself instead of being waited on hand and foot all the time. I wouldn't have figured out that I actually love horses and am not all that terrible at riding them. I wouldn't have realized that living on and taking care of a farm is actually not the worst way to live your life. I wouldn't have figured out why I've always had such a hard time growing up. But most importantly, if I had left here early, I wouldn't have gotten to know you." She slowly takes a few steps toward him as she continues speaking.

"And if I hadn't gotten to know you, Grant Douglas Ward, I wouldn't have realized that you're an amazing guy with an incredibly big heart." She stops when she's right in front of him. She hesitantly places one of her hands on his chest, right over where his heart is. "I also wouldn't have realized that I really, really care about you. And that I think I'm falling for you very hard, and my heart would probably sink right down into my stomach if you continued to be mad at me and never wanted to see me again. But if that is the case, then I completely and totally understand." She drops her hand. "I just wanted you to know that I like you and that I really am sor—"

Skye's breath hitches and her eyes go wide when Grant's rough lips press against hers, his hands cupping either side of her face to pull her close.

She relaxes into the kiss, her eyes slowly falling closed and her hands reaching up to rest on his arms, rising up on her toes to push herself closer against him.

When he pulls away, Grant rests his forehead gently against Skye's, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"You talk a lot, Rookie."

Skye lets out a breathy laugh, a small smile growing on her lips. "Yeah, I guess I do, farm boy." She pulls back slightly and opens her eyes to look at him. "So what was that for?"

Grant smiles. "I care about you and think I'm falling for you too."

"Good to know. So, what were you up to before I showed up?" she asks him as his hands slide down her arms, grabbing her hands in his and linking their fingers together.

"I was just getting ready to feed some of the animals. It's still a little early, though."

"Care for some extra help with that?" she asks with a tiny smile. "I think I could really do for some manual labor right about now."

Grant smiles back, closing the space between them with a quick kiss. She'll never get tired of feeling his lips on hers. "I'd love for you to help," he tells her. "And if you want, you can stay for as long as you want to help out around here."

"I'll definitely have to take you up on that. I've really missed this place."

"It's really missed you too."

Skye rises up onto her toes and gives him a lingering kiss. "Mm. I think that's my new favorite thing to do."

Grant smiles. "Me too. Now come on, I'm sure the animals are excited to see you again."

She smiles up at him. "The feeling's mutual. Though, I don't think Max is too thrilled that I'm back."

"He'll warm back up to you," Grant tells her as they walk through the grass hand in hand. "You just have to be patient."

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, do you think we could go horseback riding before we start working?"

Grant turns his head to look at her. "You really want to go horseback riding?"

She nods. "Mm-hmm. And hey, you're the one who said I could come here whenever I want to go riding."

Grant nods his own head. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"You certainly did."

Grant takes a deep breath and looks at the woman next to him. "Alright, I guess we can go horseback riding first."

Skye fist pumps the air. "Yes! You're the best." She leans up to kiss him before breaking away and running toward the stable, eager to see the horses housed inside it again.

Grant just laughs quietly and shakes his head as he follows after her. Something tells him that he's in for a real whirlwind of a life with Skye. But he honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in their twitter handle and/or Tumblr URL being used in a new Skyeward story I'm working on, let me know. I need all the help I can get. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	17. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! This one is the epilogue, which means it is the final piece to this particular puzzle. But don't worry, I have some more ideas for this little world that I've created and I will be posting them. So stay tuned.
> 
> In the meantime, thanks so much to everyone who has read/reviewed this story and enjoyed doing so. Your support means a lot. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

_***Five years later*** _

Falling down onto the couch in the living room as he lets out a small puff of air, Phil pulls his laptop closer to him from where it sits on the coffee table and flips open the lid.

Opening up the internet browser and going straight to YouTube after unlocking the device, he loads the live feed of Hollywood's latest movie premiere that's supposed to be one of their biggest and best ones yet. He doesn't watch too many live premiere coverages these days. He'll usually go to them if it's one that he's produced, so he doesn't always see the need for watching coverages of movies he isn't a part of in some way.

Pulling out his phone as the video starts and shows the different stars arriving and being interviewed, he goes through his email, replying to a few messages from people he works with about various projects they have in development.

" _We've been seeing a lot of truly amazing looks out on display on the red carpet tonight, but probably the most anticipated look tonight is from the woman who is making her debut return to the Hollywood lights after a little over five years away."_

Locking his phone and setting it aside, he casually crosses his arms over his chest and watches with a small smile on his face as a clip of his daughter walking along the red carpet plays in one corner of the screen, the rest of it still showing the woman speaking.

Watching his daughter on his TV screen is certainly nothing new to him after all her years of acting and causing trouble. But after five years of not seeing her on any screens, there's a certain type of renewed energy to the whole thing.

" _The last anyone saw of the high profile actress, she was causing all sorts of trouble throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas with her now ex-boyfriend, former actor Miles Lydon. But then, after spending five years out of the spotlight with near radio silence on all of her social media accounts, she's decided to come back to the world that many thought she was leaving behind for good."_

The screen fades out and then back in, showing Skye standing on a small platform, a microphone clutched tightly in her hands as she speaks with an interviewer.

He holds his breath, mostly out of habit from past interviews his daughter has done that didn't turn out too well.

" _Well," the interviewer says with a deep breath and a smile, "I have to say that I am very glad to see you back in the spotlight after all these years. I've been a big fan of your work for a long time."_

_Skye smiles politely. "Thank you. It was definitely a little weird getting my footing back in this world after being away for so long. But I love it. I had a great time being away from all of this, though, it's definitely what I needed to do."_

" _I'm sure it is," the man says. "Now, this isn't your movie premiere tonight, but it is your first public appearance at an event like this in about five years."_

_"It is. I've spent the last five years just focusing on myself and figuring out who I really am. I know it might sound a little cheesy to some people, but it worked. I'm a much better version of myself, one that I'm happy with, and I'm honestly really glad I took a break from all of this for a while."_

_"Well, I'm glad things seem to be working out for you. Now, as I mentioned, this isn't your premiere tonight, but I may or may not have heard that you may have something currently in the works. Is there anything you can share with us about that?"_

_She gives them a small smile. "I can't say much about it right now since it's still in the early stages of development, but I'm really excited about it. I wasn't sure if I'd be getting any more jobs once I decided to announce my return because of a lot of things that I've done in the past. I thought I would be shunned and turned away and never get to do what I love again. But things are a lot better now and I'm really happy with how things are going so far. Thankfully, there are still a few people in Hollywood willing to give me a chance."_

" _That's great. Well, I have to let you go now, unfortunately, but I can't wait to see what you've got coming up."_

" _Thank you. I'm really looking forward to sharing it with everyone."_

_The image on the screen changes to another scene as the voice-over continues to speak._

From his place on the couch, Phil lets out a content sigh as he relaxes further into the cushion behind him. No disaster happened. No vomiting or near passing out from being hungover, no wardrobe malfunctions, no catastrophes of any kind.

"How's the show?"

He turns his head over his shoulder, smiling when he sees his wife entering the room with a small infant cradled in her arms. The image reminds him so much of when their own daughter was that small and still needed them for everything.

"Well, it was definitely a nice change to see her sober during an interview for once," he tells his wife.

"I'm sure it was."

"And how is the cutest baby in the world doing?" he asks, leaning over to get a better look at the baby.

"She's stopped fussing loudly," Melinda tells him. "So that's a good thing."

He nods. "A very good thing. I can't believe how much like Skye she looks," he says, admiring the baby's dark hair and big brown eyes, flitting around and doing their best to take everything in while clutching to a teething ring like it's a lifeline.

"Well, I certainly hope she does, since she's Skye's baby."

He sighs. "That's another thing that's still hard to believe sometimes. We're grandparents, Mel."

Melinda's lips twitch. "I know, Phil. I was in the room when Jessica was born."

"Yeah, I know. Now give her to me, you've been hogging her since she got here."

Melinda sighs and then hands the baby over to him.

He smiles down at his granddaughter, cooing softly to her as she stares up at him.

"I have a few things to go take care of for that new project. Are you good here with her?"

He nods, his eyes never leaving the baby. "Yeah, we're good." He accepts a quick kiss from his wife as she stands up and leaves the room.

His phone going off in his pocket a few minutes later pulls his attention away from the baby in his arms.

Digging the cell out of his pants, he sighs at the message on the screen from his daughter.

**Back with my phone. How's my baby doing? Is she doing okay? Does she need anything? She's teething right now so she's been really moody.**

He looks to the infant in his arms and smiles amusedly. "Your mom sure is a worrier. She wasn't really like that until you came into the picture. Should we tell her that you're doing okay? I think we'll do that to ease her mind a little."

He snaps a quick photo of the baby, a far-off look in her eyes, and attaches it to a message for his daughter.

_As you can see she's doing perfectly fine. Teething was rough for you too when you were her age, but your mom and I handled it just fine. Just like we are now. I promise we'll call you if we need anything, though. Don't worry too much and just enjoy your night out with your husband._

Within seconds he gets a reply.

**It's hard. I miss her.**

_I know you do. But she'll be here when you're done._

**I know. Can you give her a kiss from me? And Grant?**

_Of course._

**Thanks, dad.**

_No problem, sweetheart._

Locking his phone, he sets it off to the side and looks back down at the whining baby in his arms. He bounces her gently to try and calm her down again.

"You know, kid, you lucked out pretty well in the parents' department. Your mom's one of the good ones. And your dad is too. But I'm a bit more partial to your mom since she's my kid."

He smiles. "Why don't we go into the other room and you can have some quality time with grandpa now that grandma's done hogging you." He stands from the couch and cradles the baby in his arms, headed down the hall toward the guest room turned bedroom whenever Jessica is set to visit. "I'll even read you the same story that I read to your mom when she was about your age. I think you're going to love it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> I know it wasn't Skyeward heavy, but I wanted the prologue and the epilogue to match up, with Phil being the POV that's presented. I think it makes for nice little bookends. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


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